Patriots & Tyrants (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 2)

by Cotton, Brian

  “Those were good times, back then.”

  “These are good times now.”

  Kaspar looked over to Krys and kissed her on the forehead. These were good times, moments like these, and they weren’t to be wasted. There were so many things he wanted to tell Mother, but he never did, always thinking he could just do it later. In his mind, Mother would always be there. He learned a harsh lesson when she was gunned down…

  The stars, they are so beautiful, Kaspar thought to himself to get his mind away from those horrible thoughts. Not about Mother, he loved to still think about her, but about the Agents who killed her. He peered over at Krys who just lay there, on her back, in complete wonderment at the sight above. He reached over and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it back in response.

  If only these moments could last forever…

  ***

  Kaspar’s head shot up as a military boot kicked at his side. He reached around for a gun that wasn’t there. It was still dark outside, had to be about three or four in the morning. His eyes moved next to Krys, who was doing the same thing after her rude awakening. When his mind finally became alert, he saw that Harvey stood over top him with a no bullshit look on his face.

  “Time to get up.” Harvey said.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Kaspar replied. He moved his hands to his tired eyes and rubbed at them.

  Kaspar couldn’t remember when he had passed out. He was so worried about not losing the moment that his consciousness eluded him. There was no way to know how many hours of sleep he got, but it couldn’t have been more than four, given the fogginess in his mind. He nodded his head when Harvey told the two there was coffee ready at his tent. Never being much of a coffee drinker, the thought of having some caffeine in his system to help with the tiredness nonetheless sounded good to Kaspar.

  After he stretched, and worked out the ache in his back with a few pops, Kaspar headed over to Harvey’s tent. Krys walked beside him, her hand firmly entrenched in his. They just had to keep surviving, Kaspar thought as they walked, until they found something that could fix what was wrong with her. He felt jitters like these before every mission. It wasn’t the bullets that would fly, or the thrill of life or death, but the anticipation that there might be some type of information found which could lead them in that direction.

  Inside Harvey’s tent, Clarke sat on a fold out chair, he sipped at his coffee and played around with a PDA. When he heard the sound of his two old friends walk in, he smiled. Clarke placed the coffee down on the grass and stood. Krys gave him a big bear hug and then Kaspar shook his hand. The two friends each grabbed a fold out chair and sat them next to each other, in front of Clarke.

  “You two ready for this mission today?” Clarke asked.

  “I guess we’ll see.” Krys replied. She yawned then asked, “How far out are we?”

  “Not too far. A couple of miles, really.”

  “That’s good.”

  “How are feeling today?”

  Krys shrugged her shoulders, “You know, same old, same old.”

  “Yeah, I hear you.”

  Kaspar sipped at his bitter coffee. “You think we’ll find anything there?”

  Clarke sighed, “We can only hope.”

  “Let’s not even think about that,” Krys said with a frown. “We’ve got a job to do. We need to see it through no matter what.”

  Clarke pointed an index finger in her direction. “She’s right, you know?”

  “Of course she is. She’s always right.”

  Krys gave Kaspar a playful punch to the arm. “Glad to see you’re finally learning.”

  They all engaged in a short laugh together. The laughter didn’t last long, however, because they needed to prepare their minds for what was to come. The grins and laughs ended almost immediately.

  “Whatcha looking at?” Krys asked as Clarke stuck his nose back into his PDA.

  “Just trying to keep my eyes on that compound. I was telling Ryan earlier that I didn’t like the layout of the place.” Clarke replied.

  “We’ll be fine,” Kaspar said. “Look, have you found anything out about what’s going on in that compound, information wise.”

  “Negative. This one is no different from the other ones. The firewall is too strong for even my hacking skills to break into. You’re going to have to get it from directly inside.”

  “Got it.”

  Their conversation was cut short when Harvey entered the tent. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to him. One thing that was different about Harvey from Paxton, Kaspar came to know, was that Harvey was much more reserved and conservative with his leadership. Even though he didn’t command respect like Paxton did, Harvey still expected his soldiers to give him that respect.

  “Time to move out.” Harvey said.

  .11

  Harvey stopped the armored vehicle and pulled on the emergency brake. Once again, his son was seated next to him. Without a word, he turned and winked to Buck before he got out of the vehicle. Buck, annoyed by the gesture, quickly opened the door then hopped out on his side. The others began to file out, as well. Harvey gave them one last note of encouragement before he set them off. He grabbed hold of the camouflaged duffle bag which contained his sniper rifle, silencer, loads of extra mags, and beef jerky. He called out to Buck as they turned their backs to him. Buck stopped dead in his tracks and then looked back to his father.

  “You be careful in there, son, you hear?” Harvey asked.

  “I got this,” Buck replied. “Don’t worry about me. You just worry about those sentries out there.”

  “Good thinking. Remember, just…”

  Buck’s near perfect posture slouched. “Focus on what I’m doing…pretend like there’s nothing there…I got it.”

  “Okay, and…”

  “What now?”

  Harvey wanted to tell his son that he loved him, but couldn’t think of the right way to say it. It always struck him as bizarre that it was so hard to just say three simple words. He’d freeze up and then do what he always did: give Buck a salute. Buck seemed to be disappointed with the gesture as he simply turned his back and caught up with the others. Harvey cursed himself under his breath. There was no time to sit and dwell on it, though, as they were right in the middle of a mission.

  The sniper rifle came equipped with a tripod which rested underneath the barrel of the gun. Once the silencer was screwed onto the muzzle, Harvey rested it on the end of the pod. He reached over, clicked the safety off, and then popped off the black latch which covered the scope.

  It seemed like ages since Harvey put himself on sniping duty. There was bound to be some rust which he hoped wouldn’t be too hard to shake off. He took in a deep breath then tried to get a feel for the wind. The breeze was light, which would make for a good day for sniping. After he adjusted the scope, he lined up his first shot, right at the head of one of the sentries posted outside the compound.

  He took in another deep breath and waited for the others to signal their approach.

  ***

  Steinner led the way down the steep hill. They all moved at a deliberate pace so as not to lose their balance and alert the enemy. Kaspar held up the rear, per the usual. He never quite understood why he was always last. Maybe it was just part of his personality, never being one to volunteer anything. Buck was in front of him. As they kept moving down, he could hear the kid’s breathing getting heavier. Kaspar didn’t want to have to slug the kid in the jaw, or at least feel the temptation to, this time. He hoped that whatever the kid and his dad talked about when they were alone a few nights ago stuck.

  The morning southern air was hot and humid. Underneath all that armor and gear, Kaspar could feel his body becoming drenched with sweat. Even in this early morning hour it felt like a million degrees. He was tempted to pull his mask off and wipe away the sweat on his brow, but knew that he couldn’t. This would be a miserable, uncomfortable mission, and he would have to train his mind not to let it get to him.

  When
they reached the bottom, there was a trench with tall, green weeds that grew all around it. The team knelt down behind the cover of the trench to check their equipment. Kaspar made sure his silenced MP-5 had a full mag in it. He then set the rifle to three round burst, though he was sure that, just like every other mission it seemed, he would set it back to full automatic. Everyone gave the all clear to Steinner who radioed in to Harvey.

  Let’s get this shit going, Kaspar thought.

  .12

  Harvey got the signal from Steinner. He took a couple of deep breaths and cleared his mind. All that remained in his thoughts were the targets down below. One thing about sniping that Harvey had learned was how impersonal it was. Taking targets out from long distances away was worlds different from shooting them at close range. A flash of the sun penetrated through the still dark morning sky. It was a signal that they needed to move fast.

  The first target was still lined up in the crosshairs. Without a blink, Harvey pulled the trigger. Seconds later, the large caliber bullet hit the Agent in the head, tearing through the helmet. There was a small spray of crimson that shot up through the air. The Agent beside him looked around in shock. He reached down to check his fallen comrade. Seconds later, he suffered the same fate. Harvey moved the rifle swiftly around the tripod. He found an Agent reaching down for his walkie. The trigger was pulled and the Agent fell to the ground. He then touched his neck.

  “All clear.”

  ***

  Kaspar heard Harvey’s words. He gripped his MP-5 and prepared to raid the building. Steinner led the way as he stood and motioned for the others to follow him. They moved forward with swiftness. To his right, out of the corner of his shaded eyes, Kaspar saw another Agent go down from a precise sniper shot. When they reached one of the back doors of the complex, Buck pulled out a small explosive and stuck it to the handle. He moved out quick and the small, near silent explosion blew off the door handle. A light kick to the door from Steinner opened it.

  The team entered the back door and there were no Agents around. They split up in their two teams. Dexter and Krys went left with Buck; Kaspar and Steinner moved right. With his MP-5 shouldered, Kaspar followed close behind Steinner. It was still before dawn so the shift was smaller than it normally would be. It almost came as a shock to Kaspar that they had not been ambushed, yet.

  They kept moving until they got to the end of the hallway where they took a left and entered through the last door on the right. Three Agents were caught by surprise when the two rebels entered the lab. The Agents tried to get their shit together and went for their weapons. A wave of cool, calculated bursts from the silenced weapons put them down before they could. Kaspar moved past the bodies and went for the computers. Steinner moved fast towards the machines which produced the new drug. With a firm grip on the flash drive from his vest, Kaspar inserted it into the USB drive. After that, he turned his attention to the door.

  Steinner moved fast when the pressure was on. He was already halfway done when there was a communication over their ears. Harvey was talking to Buck, trying to calm the boy’s nerves over the radio. It made Kaspar want to vomit. The kid needed to grow a pair and get the job done just like everyone else.

  The door opened. An Agent walked in and was just as shocked as the others. He grabbed for his pistol, but Kaspar blew him away with a three round burst to the chest, then another burst to the face. What was left of the head made a loud thud on the white tile floor. Steinner stood from the black boxes with the C4 assembled properly. He set the timer for ten minutes then joined Kaspar by the door. Kaspar walked over to the computer and snatched the flash drive from it. Together, the two rebels moved out from the lab.

  Their pace was brisk as they tried to keep their noise down. From the conversations over the radio with father and son, it appeared the Buck was doing just fine. All of sudden, there was silence and heavy breathing through the headphones. Then, the sound became so loud that it caused Kaspar’s ears to ring. Gunfire. Steinner yelled for them to move fast. Kaspar didn’t need the command, he was already well past his partner. He ran through the circular lobby that Clarke warned about. He didn’t take the time to sweep from left to right with his gun. Krys was in trouble.

  “We’re getting ambushed here!” Dexter cried through the radio.

  “How the hell did that happen?” Harvey demanded.

  “I don’t know! I…”

  As they ran, Kaspar unscrewed the silencer from his MP-5. Not much use for it now and he never liked the damned things anyway. They moved fast to the sounds of the loud bursts of automatic fire.

  Just hold on, Krys, Kaspar thought.

  Kaspar, in the lead, turned the corner of the hallway. As soon as his body was exposed, a rapid burst of automatic rounds were sent his way. He saw the Agent just before he pulled the trigger and immediately moved back. Several of the rounds hit the corner, causing pieces of the concrete wall to go flying in the air. Kaspar held up his balled fist for Steinner to stop. Steinner obeyed and then turned his back.

  “How’s Buck doing?” Steinner demanded into his mouthpiece.

  “Not good!” Dexter replied.

  Kaspar moved his head slightly over the corner. When he heard the shots, he moved back as more concrete chunks blew past him. Beside him, Steinner was standing in a poised position to shot anything that approached. Kaspar then heard the footsteps of the Agent around the corner moving in closer.

  Kaspar moved his MP-5 against the wall and pointed the barrel at the corner. Before the Agent got there, the loud sound of a high caliber bullet breaking through a glass window filled Kaspar’s ear. A swift moment later, he heard a body fall to the ground. The Agent who had him pinned down was taken out by a precise sniper’s bullet.

  “Whoever is stuck at the corner,” Harvey said. “You’re good to go.”

  “Thanks, boss.” Kaspar replied.

  “I’ll cover your asses from here. Just keep moving to the other’s position.”

  Another bullet tore through the glass window and struck another Agent in the head. Kaspar and Steinner moved into the hallway now with their weapons drawn. They continued until they were right next to the lab that the others were in. When they reached the opened door, Kaspar pressed his back against the left side of the doorway, Steinner on the right. Kaspar poked his head slowly through the doorway. The Agents weren’t watching the door.

  Instead, they surrounded the three rebels inside.

  .13

  The three rebels were bunched up together behind one of the black boxes which mixed together the drug. The Agents began to converge in on them and continued to fire their automatics into the dark metal box. Krys moved her silenced MP-5 to the side of it, poked her head up slightly, and then fired the submachine gun at one of the Agents. The bullets tore through his armor.

  Kaspar made a signal to Steinner. The two moved into the room. They began to fire away with their MP-5s. The Agents inside were caught off guard. They turned their attention to back of the room as they began to drop like flies. Dexter, from behind the box, yelled a command for them to move out and attack. They did so and, after a brief moment of gun fire, all the Agents fell to ground. Nobody from the team was hurt.

  “What’s your status, Buck?” Kaspar demanded.

  “I’m…almost done.”

  “Get a move on it!”

  Buck ran back to work on his C4. Steinner moved in and pushed the kid to the side. He ordered Buck to stand guard at the door. In the commotion, no one saw the Agent sneak in from that door on the far side of the lab. He put a single bullet through Steinner’s head. Buck stood motionless as his comrade’s lifeless body crashed to the floor. Blood began to leak from the bullet wound. Everyone, except for him, turned and fired a barrage of bullets into the Agent.

  “Goddamnit, Buck!” Dexter yelled. “Finish that bomb!”

  The kid was still shaken, both mentally and physically. His hands shook as he struggled to get the bomb ready. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity,
he got it done and set the timer for seven minutes. He stood and gave the thumbs up.

  “Harv, this is Dex,” the rebel said as he touched his throat. “Steinner’s down, but we got the bombs done. We’re moving out, now.”

  “Shit!” Harvey cried. “Okay, but you’ve got some forces moving in from the outside. Shift change. We were supposed to out of here by now! I’ll provide cover fire from up here, but you guys better book it.”

  “Roger.”

  The team moved down the hallway in near single file. As they moved to the lobby, they began to see Agents drop from Harvey’s shots from up on the hill. Once outside, there was mass confusion for the Agents as they continued to fall. Kaspar saw an Agent move in from the left. He turned and fired into him. As the Agents continued to fall, the rebels made it to the hill. Dexter and Kaspar stayed behind at the bottom, in the trench, to give Krys and Buck cover fire. Once they got the signal, they moved up as well.

  With everyone up top, Harvey left the sniper rifle behind and ran with the others to the vehicles. Several moments later, they heard the explosions come from inside the complex. They all scrambled their way to escape. Dexter hopped in the driver’s seat of the first vehicle and quickly started the engine. In the second vehicle Buck, who had been sitting in the front seat, refused to do so this time. He instead moved to the back with Kaspar and Krys. He figured it was safer in the back, even with everyone pissed off at him, than up front with his father.

  Harvey turned the key in the ignition and slammed on the gas. The bumpy ride began and grew more intense as the assault vehicle picked up speed. Harvey looked around with the great vision that the man upstairs had blessed him with. He saw no one in pursuit. Even still, he didn’t allow his attention to waver.

  In the back, nobody spoke. Kaspar moved over to Krys and began to rub at her shoulders. She had already taken her mask off and tears were running down her cheeks. While he continued to rub on her, he felt an instant fit of guilt deep within. He didn’t really know Steinner that well, he knew that the man was a good soldier, but he was just thankful that if anyone was going to die, that it wasn’t Krys. He couldn’t, for obvious reasons, make that assertion out loud.