Patriots & Tyrants (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 2)

by Cotton, Brian

  “I said, we’re going to get them. I know that I can trust you not to say anything, so what I’m about to tell you is to be considered extremely classified.”

  “Why me?”

  “You never said anything about the cure…back when we first learned about it.”

  “Okay,” Kaspar said. His spirits started to go down with the mention of the cure.

  “Listen, we, Sanders and I, are planning something big. Something that will strike at the very heart of the USR. It’s going to be risky, and the repercussions immense, but we think it will be worth it.”

  Kaspar’s curiosity piqued. “What are you planning?”

  Harvey went into all the details regarding the planned assault on DC. Through it all, Kaspar grew more and more ready for the fight. His attention began to leave Harvey somewhat at times, but when his leader kept going into how much this would hurt the USR, if successful, the words fired him up. He was ready to grab a gun and go right this minute. When he told Harvey as much, the leader warned that this mission would take careful planning and they couldn’t just rush the place.

  “So,” Kaspar said. “What’s it going to take?”

  “Well, Sanders is currently getting with our contacts, we’re hoping that we can get a small force together in a united effort for this Op, but it might not be that simple.”

  “Why not?”

  “This is dangerous and unprecedented. Since the USR has come into power, nobody has tried anything like this. Our operations have always been small, you know, guerilla war type stuff.”

  “Right…”

  “And, whether we win or lose, the people of the USR are going to be the ones to suffer the most. The USR will be more than a little pissed off when we take down one of their beloved symbols of America’s defeat. Their control over the population will get out of control. You think it’s bad now? Just wait until a few weeks from now.”

  Kaspar leaned forward. “What happens if we can’t get enough folks to do this?”

  “Let’s not think that way, son. I’m hoping that there are enough like-minded men brave enough to punch the USR in the mouth and stand up to the counterblow.”

  Kaspar took a moment to think about what he had just been told. There was a mixed feeling inside. Of course, he wanted to strike back at the USR, but not for what Krys would consider the right reasons. The USR had taken away Mother, now they took away Krys, and Kaspar was left with nothing. However, he thought about what Harvey said about the consequences of such a bold move. Was his need for revenge more important than the lives of the men, women, and children who already lived in fear? Was the need for the old ways to come back worth that high of a cost? Kaspar simply didn’t know.

  Kaspar looked directly into Harvey’s eyes. “Do you think this would be worth it?”

  “I don’t know the real answer to that one. I just know that something needs to be done. The people out there,” Harvey said as he pointed towards the closed door, “they need something.”

  “Something what?”

  “Something to have hope in….”

  Kaspar pointed his index finger at Harvey. “You see, that’s where you’re wrong. The people out there, save a few leftovers, don’t give a shit about what we do. They hate us. They want us to be found out and killed. To them, life under the USR is the only way to live.”

  A nerve was struck within Harvey. “What makes you think so?”

  “I’m not a leftover, you know? I don’t know anything about what life was like before the USR took over. Don’t really know which way is better…”

  “How can you say that after your mother…”

  “My mother is the only reason I’m in this. If she had never died, I would be still boxing or doing something else with my time. I’ve never been bought into one way or the other. I know that the USR is into some funky shit, but I also don’t know any other way.”

  Harvey smirked. “So, you’ve really learned nothing since you joined the fight.”

  “I’ve learned a lot. But, we’ve been so busy demolishing the USR’s labs and whatnot that I’ve only learned how to fight. And, I’ve learned what love is, but that’s about it. No ‘this is why America was so great’ other than a few speeches from John back when he was still alive.”

  “I understand your ignorance and I don’t mean that as an insult. When things settle down, if we are still alive, I swear to you I will teach you about America.”

  Kaspar smiled, “Looking forward to it.”

  “If only you knew, Ryan. All the talk in the world couldn’t clue you in unless you actually experienced it.”

  Harvey then started to do something that really caught Kaspar off guard. The old Marine started to talk about himself. Kaspar listened as Harvey told him about how he grew up, without much money but with a loving family, and he had his freedom. The freedom to talk about whatever he wanted, the freedom to pick his own way, not a predetermined order of things that the USR saw fit. When he joined the military, Harvey explained, it was of his own freewill. Nobody from the US government forced him into it because he was more physically fit than others. He joined because he loved his country and wanted to fight for it. In that way, things for Harvey weren’t much different since he decided to fight back against the USR.

  The one thing that struck Kaspar was that Harvey didn’t say anything about his life before he joined up with the resistance. He simply said he had a wife and when Buck was born, she died. The leftover didn’t mention his feelings toward the incident as he spoke about it in a matter of fact tone. The thought of living under a totalitarian regime seemed to get under the old man’s skin more than the death of his wife or the birth of his son.

  It was after his wife died that someone approached him with a job. Harvey didn’t elaborate too much, all he said was he and Buck lived in a place with some other ex-military types and refugees. The leader of that place, Harvey explained, was too much a pacifist for his liking. He took Buck and a few men with him and they went it alone. It wasn’t long until someone offered him a job. That someone, unknown to him, was an undercover USR government official who was assembling a resistance squad much like the one Paxton started. After that, he was gung ho in his fight, raising his son at the same time.

  “Truth is,” Harvey said. “I’m not sure it was really me who was raising my boy. It was more of a team effort. Every man who fought with me played a role in raising Buck.”

  “Maybe that’s why Buck is so upset all the time.” Kaspar said.

  Again, Harvey’s face dropped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Listen, I grew up without my father, so I can understand.”

  “Buck didn’t grow up without his father.”

  Kaspar leaned forward. “You were physically there. I’ll just leave it at that. Maybe you should talk to Buck about it. Not to me.”

  “You mind your own business about my son and I’s relationship.”

  “Just saying,” Kaspar replied. He held up his hands in the air.

  “So,” Harvey said in desperate need of changing the subject. “What are your feelings about the mission?”

  Kaspar shrugged. His thoughts from earlier were in the back of his head. “I’m just thinking about Krys. Before she died, she told me to fight for the right reasons, whatever the hell those are.”

  Harvey sighed. “Fighting for the right reasons is a tricky thing.”

  “I hear you.”

  “You’ve just got to get beyond your personal vendettas, which will take time, and really consider why we are fighting.”

  “I’ll try.”

  Harvey looked down at his watch. “Well, it’s getting late, I’m going to try and get some shut eye.”

  “All right, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “And, Ryan?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

  .38

  Sullivan sat in the chair in front of Fitzpatrick’s desk with a scowl on his fac
e. Things were not going well with this supposed routine meeting with his superior. In fact, he was waiting for his boss to ask for his badge and gun. Little was sitting next to him and, unlike his partner, he seemed to be in a good mood today. Sullivan began to question whether or not his partner had ratted him out. That seemed unlikely, given the fact that Little was a coward who wouldn’t dare do anything to put his perfect life at risk.

  The meeting started out bad and quickly escalated to horrifying. Sullivan was forced to answer questions about why he called in sick the other day. Why there had been no collected evidence against the suspects. And, most important to Sullivan, why he felt that he should still have a job with the department.

  Sullivan tried his best to explain away his absence from work. However, he failed to get a doctor’s note, and of all the times he had called in, Fitzpatrick decided that today was the day to demand one. When the Agent tried to say that he wasn’t sick enough to go to the doctor, Fitzpatrick fired back with if he wasn’t sick enough to go, then he wasn’t sick enough to miss work. Sullivan just sat there after that, that scowl grew more intense on his face by the minute.

  “What’s that look for?” Fitzpatrick demanded.

  “What look? We need more time it’s that simple, sir..”

  “Time, again, is a luxury we don’t have.”

  Little spoke up. “You know what I think, sir?”

  Sullivan looked over to Little and the two locked eyes. The look in Sullivan’s said “I would love to hear what you think”. The younger Agent caught his drift. Sullivan could tell by the way he sort of squirmed. It was as if Little’s balls would finally drop, but the coward in him took over once again.

  “Yes, Detective?” Fitzpatrick said.

  Little cleared his throat. “I just think that maybe we’re moving a little bit too slow, that’s all.”

  “Too slow?” Sullivan demanded with his eyes still locked on to his partner’s. “What makes you think that?”

  “It’s just, you know, we haven’t gotten anything on them.”

  “That’s because they are very good.”

  “If I may,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think that your partner might be right. And, also, I find it very suspicious that after I warned you about only having three days, you call in sick, and when you go to the warehouse, the suspects are nowhere to be found.”

  The scowl grew more intense. Sullivan was found out and he knew it. He swallowed hard and knew what was coming next, as well. Instinctively, Sullivan reached for his badge. Fitzpatrick caught it with his eyes. The Captain threw up his arms.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Nothing, sir,” Sullivan replied. “I’m pretty sure what comes next. I’ve been through this before.”

  “Kevin, if you would please leave the room for a second?”

  Little nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  The two Agents remained silent as Little stood. The rookie politely saluted his Captain. When it came to Sullivan, Little did not make any kind of gesture to him. Sullivan could sense that the young rookie just wanted to get as far away from him as possible. When the two Agents had a quiet, private session, Fitzpatrick began to rub at his brow before he said anything.

  “You know how I feel about your skills, Will.” The Captain finally said. He stopped rubbing at his forehead and gave Sullivan his full attention.

  “I know.” Sullivan replied.

  “I’m just sad to see you willing to give up your badge so quickly. Without any kind of fight or whatever. I just want to make sure everything is okay before we moved forward.”

  Sullivan thought about that comment before he spoke up again. Everything was not okay. It hadn’t been okay since Julie left this world. The guilt he felt for staying an Agent while his wife wanted him to quit and find something else still lingered. She knew the types of things that would go on, it was all over Sullivan’s eyes, and she just wanted something better for him. In his stubbornness, and his pride, he went against her wishes and it ruined their marriage. It ruined the relationship he had with the woman he loved. Then, when it became apparent that it was the USR who was behind it, things just got worse.

  However, despite his feelings about it, he couldn’t reveal that to Fitzpatrick. He would have to lie and pretend like he was still wallowing in his own self-pity about her death. It had worked well for him up to this point. In the midst of their silence, his thoughts also drifted to that of Reed and his resistance partners. The time to act was now, but Sullivan didn’t know how to go about it. He still had his son to worry about. In the back of his mind, he knew that he would have to leave him for at least a little while, but he didn’t want to accept it just yet.

  “William?” Fitzpatrick said, breaking up Sullivan’s thoughts.

  Sullivan shook himself back to the present. “Yeah? Sorry.”

  “How is everything? I mean, do you feel that you can still do your job effectively?”

  “I don’t know, sir. The wounds from my wife’s death still haven’t fully healed.”

  “I can see that. Listen, why don’t you take a few days of leave?”

  Sullivan almost smiled, but held back. “Are you sure that’s necessary, sir?”

  “I just think that, with your current performance, and the fact that I don’t want to fire you, I think that’s the best course we can take right now. I’ll need your badge and your firearm.”

  Fitzpatrick made a motion with his hands for Sullivan to hand over the items to him. Sullivan, with a fake reluctance, stood from his chair and complied. After the items were on the desk, Sullivan again felt that sense of relief that he felt when he went through this six months ago. After saluting the Captain he turned his back on his superior and walked out the door. Now, he had the space and the time he would need to get the information needed.

  After the door was closed, Fitzpatrick picked up his phone and dialed just one number into the key pad. It rang only once, and then he could hear the decryption sequence go through its process to ensure the line was clean. It took about a minute for the voice on the other end asked him to code in. He did so.

  Fitzpatrick then asked for the Consul’s office phone.

  .39

  Sullivan looked down at his watch. As he saw the time, he picked up the pace of his walk to the bridge where he was to meet up with Reed. The chill of autumn air forced Sullivan to throw his bare hands in his pockets. The sky above was gray, it was always gray, with dark clouds blocking the sun. A storm was brewing causing the wind gusts to intensify. Out of his ear, to the left, he could hear the mechanical sounds of cranes moving and metal hitting metal.

  Things were about to go downhill for those boys. He could feel the prying eyes of the USR staring straight at him. The feeling of paranoia caused the Agent to look around from side to side as he continued towards the bridge. Even though there had, for as long as Sullivan could remember, been Agents on every street corner always watching, this time he felt like they were all looking at him.

  Once he reached the end of the street, he could see the bridge, and he saw that Reed was already there. Reed seemed to have the same feelings as Sullivan, because he was looking around every few seconds as well. Sullivan started to approach Reed, but stopped in his tracks. He looked around him one last time and, once he felt assured that he was not being followed, or that nothing was out of the ordinary, he approached Reed from behind.

  “Travis,” Sullivan said in a low voice.

  Even though he was speaking with that low tone, the salutation from the Agent startled Reed. Sullivan could see the man jump at the sound of his name. Once Reed turned around, he placed his hand over his chest and let out a slow, deliberate exhale.

  “You scared the shit out of me.” Reed replied.

  “Sorry,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t want to attract too much attention.”

  “That’s nearly impossible in this city, under this government.”

  Sullivan nodded his head in agreement. With his right hand, he made a gesture
for Reed to follow him towards the bridge. The rebel hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether to trust Sullivan to lead him under a bridge. With a genuine smile, genuine enough for Reed anyway, Sullivan gestured again. The hesitation was still there, but Reed reasoned that if this was his time, it was simply his time and there was nothing he could do to prevent the inevitable. If he tried to run, there were Agents on every street, ready and willing to put him down. Besides, he had, with great reluctance, grown to trust this Sullivan character.

  Once under the bridge, the sound of the river’s water rushing filled their ear drums. The sound was relaxing Sullivan thought as he reached into his jacket pocket for a piece of gum. Reed’s eyes grew as Sullivan first opened up his jacket; ready for the Agent to pull out a gun and end it all. Sullivan noticed the look and smirked. He held out the opened pack of gum to offer Reed a piece. Reed declined.

  “I doubt you brought me out here to chew some gum together.” Reed said.

  “You never know,” Sullivan replied. “Your breath is pretty rank.”

  Reed wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “What did you want to talk about?”

  “First of all, I have to warn you, I was just suspended from the force today.”

  “Really?”

  Sullivan nodded. “Sure did. It isn’t the first time, though it could be the last.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I think I’m done serving the USR for a while.”

  “What happened to you? I mean, you are high up in the ranks, why change your mind now?”

  Sullivan took a deep breath then told Reed the whole story about Julie. A lot of the parts, especially when he got to the part where he told the doctors to pull the plug, almost choked him. Reed, for his part, just stood there and listened. His eyes still wandered, but he was becoming more comfortable under the bridge, where there was very little line of sight.

  In the middle of telling his story, the Agent grew surprised at himself. Sullivan was never one to talk about his life or his feelings with people that he didn’t know. He wondered, as he kept talking, how exactly he ended up in the stage of his life that he was at. A once dedicated Agent, who swore to hunt down and kill all the resistance leaders in his city, was now talking to one openly about his life and what he wanted out of the life of an Agent. He also couldn’t help but think what if he had come to this realization sooner. Maybe then, during Julie’s last moments on earth, they could have shared some love together before the end.