by Robert Boren
“Really?” Seth asked.
“Yeah, man,” Matt said. “I think Ji-Ho is right. We’ve got to strike when the iron is hot. Take our home back from these thugs.”
“There’s other rumors on the internet,” Angel said. “Governor Sable is missing, and the leadership of the CHP were found dead at some abandoned prison outside of Sacramento.”
“Sable dead too,” Ji-Ho said. “Wait and see. It come out.”
“Probably right,” Angel said. “Otherwise he’d be on TV telling everybody to stay calm.”
“Sable not as bad as all say,” Ji-Ho said. “I knew him from business. He lefty, but still love country.”
Trevor’s phone rang. He answered it, walking away from the others, then turned. “Gus will be here in a couple minutes. We’d better get the gate open for him.”
“Let’s go outside,” Ji-Ho said. “I can open from there. Just need key.”
“Okay,” Trevor said. They both rushed back through the entry way and out the front door as the others watched.
“I don’t like this,” Emma said, walking over to Seth. “You’re all I’ve got left.”
“Don’t worry,” Seth said. “I’m not an idiot.”
“No, you’re young, pissed off, and you feel invincible,” Emma said. “Recipe for disaster.”
“I’ve been trying to tell Matt that,” Kaylee said. “He won’t listen, and my uncle is no help.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” Matt said. “I just don’t agree.”
Kaylee rolled her eyes. “You want to go downstairs, Emma?”
“No, I think I’d rather listen to what this guy says, so I know what to expect.”
“Okay,” Kaylee said. “I guess you’re right.”
“What happened to Jamie?” Seth asked.
“He went home to get some stuff, but said he’s coming back,” Matt said.
“Good,” Angel said. “He’s a cool dude, and good in a fight.”
“He looks at me like I’m a piece of meat,” Emma said.
“Most men do,” Angel quipped.
“Funny ha ha,” Emma said.
“I’ve caught him checking me out too,” Kaylee said.
“Oh, stop it,” Matt said. “He’s all right. He just needs a girlfriend.”
“You want it to be me or Emma?” Kaylee asked.
“Of course not,” Matt said. “C’mon.”
The front door opened and closed. Footsteps and voices approached.
“Hey, guys,” Gus said, smiling at them. “How you doing?”
“Okay,” Seth said.
“Yeah, good to see you again,” Matt said.
“Likewise,” Angel said.
“This is Emma and Kaylee,” Matt said, pointing to them.
“Nice to meet you,” Gus said. The girls nodded, both looking worried.
“Let’s sit at dining room table and talk,” Ji-Ho said.
Gus nodded, and followed Ji-Ho into the room adjoining the living room. He switched on the light over the table. The men sat. Kaylee and Emma walked to the couch by the dining room and settled in to listen.
“Okay, here we are,” Ji-Ho said. “You have floor, Gus.”
“Thanks,” he said. “You guys saw what happened tonight, I assume.”
“We’ve all either seen it or heard about it,” Angel said.
“Seth here had some action tonight,” Trevor said, nodding towards him.
Gus looked at him. “Really? What happened?”
“We got attacked at Emma’s apartment earlier.”
“Islamists?” Gus asked.
“Yeah, two of them, but they came in a UN van.”
“Figures,” Gus said. “They’re working together. This bothers me, though. Was this random, or were they looking for you specifically?”
“I think they were looking for Emma specifically,” Seth said. “Why?”
“We have a problem with cellphones,” Gus said. “They’re using a virus to turn phones of those they target into beacons. So far we’ve managed to stay clean. You guys might have spread it to me.”
“I don’t think they tracked us by cellphone,” Emma said. “They captured my roommates by the Nevada border.”
“Yeah, Emma’s right,” Seth said. “They got the address from Cindy’s phone. Probably also saw pictures of Emma on it.”
“How do you know this?” Gus asked.
“There was a phone message on Cindy’s answering machine, from her,” Emma said, almost breaking down. “She was watching her best friend being raped, after the boyfriend was killed. The message ended when they came for her.”
“Oh no,” Kaylee said, holding Emma as she began to sob.
“So you shot them?” Gus asked.
Seth shook his head yes. “We were lucky. I’d gone back out to the car to fetch the Winchester. They showed up when I was outside with the gun. I watched them trying to break into Emma’s apartment, then shot both of them.”
“Good,” Gus said.
“We tried to go back to my apartment,” Seth said. “It had been ransacked, and my next-door neighbor’s body was lying in her place, along with her boyfriend’s.”
Gus leaned back for a moment, thinking. “Shit, you think they targeted you directly there?”
“Hard to tell,” Seth said. “I kinda doubt it. There was broken glass all over the walkway. They probably broke into every apartment in that building. There are only eight units, and nobody was around.”
“They might have seen your neighbor at a checkpoint and followed her home,” Angel said. “She was hot. I tried to get her to go out with me, but she had that boyfriend.”
“There’s been a lot of that,” Gus said. “Following women home from checkpoints. It’s happening all over the LA area. The corrupt news media is ignoring it, of course.”
“Dammit,” Trevor said. “This can’t stand.”
“What do you know about Ivan the Butcher?” Matt asked. “That guy looks pretty bad-ass.”
“Probably no more than you know,” Gus said. “Supposed to be Russian mob.”
Ji-Ho glanced at him, then away.
“You know something,” Gus said. Ji-Ho shook his head no.
“I wouldn’t be so sure that he’s Russian,” Angel said. “Scuttlebutt on the internet says he’s actually an American ex-pat, who started a gang in Russia when it was the wild west. He expanded into the EU before they chased him into hiding.”
“Interesting,” Gus said.
“So what’s your plan?” Matt asked.
Gus smiled. “You heard about the disappearance of Governor Sable, right?”
“Saw rumors of that on the internet too,” Angel said. “The news media says he’s fine.”
“He’s not fine,” Gus said. “He’s deader than a doornail.”
“How do you know that?” Seth asked.
“He and those missing CHP Commissioner died getting enemy data out to the CHP website,” Gus said. “My cousin is CHP, twenty-year veteran. He received the data through a network of officers outside of the CHP systems.”
“What was it about?” Trevor asked.
“The enemy,” Gus said. “Who they are, where they’ve infiltrated, troop strength throughout California, and most importantly, info on their bases and supply depots.”
“Wow,” Angel said. “That’s great.”
“There’s a statewide attack planned for tonight at 9:00 PM. There are teams ready to take out supply depots first, to cut off their fuel and ammo supplies.
“That’s only two hours from now,” Seth said.
“Yep,” Gus said. “That’s why I’m here tonight. There’s a supply depot in Harbor City. We’re going to hit it. Looking for recruits.”
“You got the ordinance to do that?” Trevor asked.
“We got dynamite,” Gus said, “and Molotov cocktails, of course.”
“So you want us to go along and snipe at them or something?” Seth asked.
“Yeah,” he said.
/> “I got ordinance,” Ji-Ho said.
“You think that .50 cal is going to help us here?” Matt asked. “Heavy to move around.”
Ji-Ho chuckled. “Come. I show.”
They got up and followed Ji-Ho downstairs.
“I got secret stash,” Ji-Ho said. “I don’t trust government. Any government.” He moved a panel on the wall to one side, revealing a heavy metal door with an electronic combination lock. He punched in a series of numbers, and there was a metallic clank. The door popped open a few inches, and Ji-Ho pulled it open the rest of the way, reaching for a light switch just inside.
“Uncle!” Kaylee said. “Isn’t that stuff illegal?”
“Yes,” Ji-Ho said. “So is bringing UN pigs here to rape our women.”
“Wow,” Gus said, looking at the shelves full of hardware. “How did you get this stuff?”
“I run import/export business. Have private lockers on ships. Moved in over several years.”
“RPGs,” Trevor said as he walked around the large vault. “Mortars. M-16s. Ammo. Grenades.”
“You know how valuable this stuff is?” Gus said, looking at the hardware with tears in his eyes. “This could be a game changer.”
“More in pipeline, but maybe they look more closely now,” Ji-Ho said. “Here pride and joy.” He opened the wall at the end of the vault, which revealed an area even larger than the first section.
“That looks like a little helicopter,” Trevor said, looking at it.
“You got an armed drone?” Gus asked. “Holy crap. How the hell did you hide that thing?”
“Disassembled,” Ji-Ho said. “Console built inside. See?” They walked in and he pointed.
“Hell, we could hit that Harbor City depot with this and not even have to leave the house,” Trevor said, laughing.
“Yes we can,” Ji-Ho said, “but I think we hold this in reserve. Once we use, probably gone. People see it leave and come back.”
“He’s right,” Gus said. “We could use a couple of those mortars and a couple RPGs, though. Maybe a few grenades. That with our dynamite and homemade stuff will make the depot a smoking hole.”
“We better go if 9:00 is time,” Ji-Ho said. “Where the location?”
“Construction area,” Gus said. “Across the street from Harbor Lake.”
“That less than half hour away,” Ji-Ho said. “Let’s saddle up.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” Trevor said. “We’ve got to hurry.”
“I’m with you guys,” Seth said.
“Me too,” Matt said. Angel nodded in agreement.
“I bring cart from outside. We load ordinance,” Ji-Ho said, rushing out the sliding glass door to the lower deck.
Chapter 10 – Fire Roads
Sid slowed on Wildcat Road as he got to the Barona Reservation gate.
“I don’t see anybody,” Yvonne whispered.
“They’re here, trust me,” Sid said, looking around.
“What now?” Yvonne asked.
“The Fire Department is up ahead, to the right,” Sid said. “The people I know best should be hanging out there.”
“Oh, you met them fighting the brush fire a few years ago?”
“I knew some of them before that,” Sid said. “That’s why I went to help.”
Sid turned right onto Barona Road, followed it about a hundred yards, then turned left into the fire station parking lot. Two big men with rifles trotted up to Sid’s car as he parked. Others came out and held guns on Sam’s Jeep and John’s truck.
“What’s your business here?” asked a big man with a pony tail and eye patch as he approached Sid’s window. He recognized him when he got close. “Sid! How the hell are you?”
“One Eye!” Sid said. “I’m good. How are you, brother?”
“You here because of the UN?” he asked quietly.
“How’d you guess?” Sid asked. “This is my woman, Yvonne.”
“Good to meet you. Let’s go chat in the firehouse, okay?”
“Shall I bring my friends?” Sid asked.
“Sure, bring them along,” One Eye said. He turned to the others and motioned for them to back off.
Sid and Yvonne got out and trotted over to Sam’s Jeep.
“It’s okay?” Sam asked.
“Yeah,” Sid said. He motioned to John and Sarah, and they got out and walked over as Sam, Connie, and Clem got out.
“Let’s go,” Sid said, leading them to the door. They walked in and leaned against the wall next to the two fire engines. One Eye was talking in hushed tones to the others. They left the room as Sid approached.
“One Eye, this is Sam, his wife Connie, Clem, John, and Sarah,” Sid said.
“Nice to meet you all,” One Eye said. “My English name is Jack. You don’t have to call me One Eye.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sam said.
Jack eyed him. “You’re military, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, a long time ago,” Sam said. “Navy Seal.”
“Wow,” Jack said.
“What happened to your other guys?” Sid asked.
“They went back on watch,” Jack said. “We’ve already had the UN in here throwing their weight around. Twice in the last week. One of them told us to enjoy our sovereignty while we can. You guys are hot, so they’re liable to be along, if their intelligence is any good.”
“What do you mean we’re hot?” Clem asked.
Jack chuckled. “Rumor has it you killed a bunch of these guys, and blew up a pass down south. Really messed with their shit.”
Sam looked at him, shocked. “How the hell did you hear about that?”
Jack grinned. “We have a couple people here who know how to crack the White Man’s computer systems.”
Sid snorted. “So I’ll bet you know why we’re here.”
“No,” Jack said. “Actually I don’t.”
“There’s a big enemy supply depot in Fernbrook. It’s supporting the enemy who’s attacking Poway.”
“Really?” Jack asked. “You here to enlist us?”
“Well, we have to pass through either way,” Sid said. “Any help would be welcomed.”
Jack sat quietly for a moment, worry on his face. “The UN has been scoping this place out, like I said. If we get involved, they’ll come here and murder our women and children.”
“This is going to be a coordinated state-wide attack,” Sam said. “We’ve been told not to attack until 9:00 pm tonight. I’m thinking they’ll have bigger fish to fry than you guys after the event.”
“But you can’t guarantee that,” Jack said.
“Of course not,” Sam said. “This is war. It could go a lot of ways. We have to rid the country of these guys. Some of us are gonna get killed.”
Jack was quiet again for a moment. Then his cellphone rang. “Excuse me a moment.” He answered it, walking away.
“He’s real nervous about this,” John said.
“Can’t blame him for that,” Sid said.
Jack rushed back in. “Pull your vehicles around the back, then go into that building over there,” he said, pointing out one of the windows.
“What’s going on?” Sid asked.
“Two UN vans coming this way,” he said. “Half a mile out.”
“Son of a bitch,” Clem said.
“Now, guys,” Jack said. “Hurry.”
“Okay,” Sid said. “C’mon.” Everybody rushed outside. They moved the vehicles and rushed into the back building. It was a large steel utility shed.
“These walls ain’t gonna stop bullets,” Clem said, looking around.
“This is bad,” Sarah said. “Think they followed us here?”
“I hope not,” John whispered. “Should we have the weapons with us?”
“Too late now,” Sam said. “Just sit tight. I got my sidearm. Rest of you guys?”
“Yeah, I’ve got my .45 auto,” Sid said.
“We’re armed,” John said, pulling Sarah close.
“Good, then just sit tight
,” Sam said.
They waited, listening as the vans drove down the street, turning left.
“They’re going to the Cultural Center,” Sid said. “We can probably see it from this window.”
“Don’t stick your head out there,” Sam said. “They’ve probably got people watching the perimeter.”
“What time is it?” Yvonne asked.
“Just about six,” Sid said.
“So we got three hours to get to the location and attack?” Clem asked. “That’s razor thin.”
“Yeah, it is,” Sam said.
Suddenly gunfire erupted from the Cultural Center.
“Son of a bitch, let’s get our weapons,” Sid said. They ran out to their cars in a panic, picking up their weapons and then rushing to the road. The UN Peacekeepers had tribal members in line with guns on them. One of them lay dead, on the end of the line.
A rifle shot cracked, and one of the UN Peacekeepers fell.
“Who was that?” John asked.
“One of Jack’s guys,” Sid said. “Let’s get them, but don’t hit those tribe members.”
“Way ahead of you,” Sam said, drawing a bead with his AR-15. He shot five times, dropping four of the UN Peacekeepers as they ran for cover. The others opened up.
“I’m gonna shoot up those UN vans,” Sarah shouted, shooting the tires on both of them.
Jack helped the tribe members into the building, then ran back out with a shotgun, looking around. He made eye contact with Sid and gave him a thumb’s up.
“Look, three of them behind the backstop at the baseball diamond,” Sam said. “I’m going around to the right.”
“I’ll go to the left,” Sid said.
“I’ll cover you,” Yvonne said. She opened up with her AK-47, splintering the wood on the backstop as Sam and Sid scrambled towards either side of the diamond. Jack rushed in from the back side, opening fire, killing one of the peacekeepers. The other two took off in a panic, Sam dropping both of them as he ran.
“That all of them?” Sid shouted to Jack.
“Yeah,” Jack said, wiping tears out of his eyes.
“Who died?” Sam asked.
“Lone Coyote,” Jack said. “Our spiritual guide.”
“Dammit,” Sid said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, but I’m even more pissed off,” Jack said. “We better get going if we’re gonna hit that depot by 9:00.”
