“They are being pursued by two choppers, and if we can locate them we will offer such assistance as we can. Request instructions.”
“Stand by.”
* * *
It was hot, dark, noisy, and uncomfortable in the back of the APC. I was sitting on the floor, back next to the door. Slime was keeping the choppers back at a distance with his .30-06.
I began to wonder, just where had I stuck that canteen? Trying to find my canteen in this bouncing tracked vehicle was no fun, but I really needed a drink. There, now to just get it out.
Rico swung hard left and over I went. I picked myself up on an elbow and tried at the canteen again, then he swung right.
Rico had avoided the main street where it is wide and ducked into an alley then maneuvered between two buildings. He stopped and dialed up Sly.
* * *
“Hey my man, do you know where a good Chinese restaurant can be found in this town?”
“Yeah I do, and I’ll see you around.” With that Sly hung up. “Okay people, we’re getting out of here.”
Some other of their friends had joined the fight, and it was shaping up into a good one. “What do you mean?” asked Lefty. “We just got here.”
Tracer spoke up, “We’re giving them hell; why do you want to pull out?”
“They’ve got their people out. I just got the signal,” responded Sly.
“Man I’ve got a lot of payback to hand out,” said Lefty.
“We all do,” added Tracer.
“Look, I know how you feel. I feel the same way, but they’ve got their people out. Now we need to pull out. If we stay here, the cops will turn everybody they have left loose on us.”
“Man we come to fight,” responded Lefty. A couple of the others spoke up in agreement.
Sly had never faced a problem like this. “Look guys, we can slip away now scot-free and live to fight another day. Right now we’ve got no support. We are not in contact with these people other than the one I’ve been talking to. We’re doing okay now, but soon they will be all over us.
“Let’s get out of here now. Go with the plan, and I’ll find out who these people are. If we’re alive we can see this thing through. We stay here, how long before we’re out of bullets? Think about it man.”
Lefty and Tracer exchanged glances. There was a long silence.
“You sure you can find these people?” asked Tracer.
“If they get away and still use the same phone, I can find them.”
“Our guys are out for blood,” said Lefty.
“I know, and it’s been a long time coming,” said Sly.
“Okay, if you say so. I’d like to see how this turns out,” said Tracer.
“Me too,” added Lefty. “Okay, I’ll see if I can call them off.”
“Thanks man,” said Sly. Sly knew this was going to be a hard sell. Heck he wanted to stay and fight too, but if he wanted to work with these people, he knew he would have to be able to stick with the plan. Otherwise, how could they ever trust him?
He heard Lefty and Tracer arguing with a couple of guys who were ready to fight on. He hoped they could be convinced because they were leaving no one behind.
“Over here!” called out one of Lefty’s recruits. “They’re trying to get in behind us.”
Sly seized the moment. “Fall back over here where they can’t get behind us.” This time everyone was more agreeable.
“Come on,” Tracer urged.
One man took a round in the leg. “I’m hit.”
Two men went to his aid; one placed the injured man’s arm over his shoulder while the other laid down a base of fire. Together they got him to safety.
“Get in the cars,” called Lefty.
“We’re leaving?” called out one of the newcomers.
“Yeah, and leaving them swatting at our shadows. Let’s go.”
There was some complaining, but they left rubber and the men in the last car steadily pumped rounds downrange for as long as they could see their pursuers.
* * *
With the APC in the narrow space the helicopters had to maneuver around to find where it had gone. This gave Rico an idea.
“Old Timer are you there?”
“We’re here.”
“I’m going to drop some people off under the bridge where we set up that surveillance post near downtown. You remember which one?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Get there as quickly as you can.”
“On my way.”
Rico hit the gas and out of the alley we flew. He ran over the front of a police car while Slime fired a couple of rounds into the engine of another. The chase was on with the helicopters following but not too closely.
Slime stuck his head down inside. “I need to load up some more ammo. Who wants to take over?”
“Let me,” I heard myself say. He ducked down and I stumbled over people and worked my way to the top firing position. With my ASG slung over my shoulder, I soon had the .308 out and began firing up choppers.
Without warning a SWAT vehicle came up behind us. I turned and started to fire on it, but saw that someone in the vehicle was shooting at one of the helicopters.
“Rico,” I yelled, “There’s a SWAT vehicle behind us, but it’s shooting at the choppers.”
“What?”
“Smitty, let Rico know that a SWAT vehicle is behind us, but it’s shooting at the choppers.”
I slipped in another mag while Smitty moved forward to the driver’s station.
Over the noise Smitty called out, “Pacho says there is a SWAT vehicle back there, but it’s shooting at the choppers.”
“I’ve got to get out of this driver’s seat. I can’t see what’s going on while I’m up here. Quick driving lesson, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Here is the gas pedal. This stick makes the right track go and this stick makes the left one go. To turn bring one back a bit. To turn quicker, just bring it back more. To turn real quick, move one backwards.”
“It works like a bulldozer?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Rico brought the track to a halt and Smitty quickly slid into the driver’s seat. We were off again. Rico stuck his head up behind me and took a look around.
“I’ll be hanged,” he said. He got out his radio.
“Postage stamp, this is Raider.”
“Postage stamp, go ahead.”
“I have a SWAT vehicle behind me, but it is shooting at the choppers. Is this one ours?”
“Affirmative Raider, do not fire on it. What are your plans?”
“I intend to drop these people off then take this thing and destroy it.”
“Sounds good, just make sure you get out.”
“Will do.”
Rico ducked back down and went to find some helmets. These had intercom connections, so that people operating the APC could talk as opposed to yelling at each other.
“What’s this for?” yelled Smitty.
“So we can hear one another.” Rico plugged it in and slid it onto Smitty’s head. He did the same for me and another for himself.
“You got me?” he asked slipping up behind me.
“Yeah, what took you so long to figure this out?”
“I was busy driving. Smitty, you got me.”
“Yeah, but you’re busting my eardrums.”
Rico ducked down and slid forward. He found the volume adjustment and brought it down to a less painful level. “How about now?”
“Better, thanks.”
Rico made his way back to where I was busy shooting at choppers. One began to smoke. It was probably hit by fire from the SWAT vehicle because it was the trailing chopper. It quickly made for some open ground and set down.
A hail of bullets hit us from another angle where we had not been watching. We had run into an ambush, but we quickly fought our way through it. The unit in the vehicle behind us fired them up with ASGs. I stuck my head back out and saw w
here they had parked their squad cars. I put as many rounds as I could into their engine compartments.
Rico was on the radio. “Postage Stamp, can you give me a frequency and call sign for the other vehicle?”
“Stand by.”
“I’ve lost control of the eye. It’s probably out of battery,” called Laura.
“Nothing to be done about it,” Rico said.
“Raider, he’s called Little Bear and he’s on two.”
“Thanks, out.” He changed to the new freq.
“Little Bear, this is Raider. Do you read?”
“I’m with you Raider.”
“Glad to have you. You got any plans on what to do with that thing?”
“Negative, nothing past getting the choppers off you.”
“I’m dropping these people off. I’ve arranged pick-up for them. I’m planning on destroying this thing if I can. Can you keep that last chopper off me?”
“Will do.” With that Lee swung the vehicle around toward the remaining helicopter. It diverted still further away. This gave Rico the time he needed.
Rico switched freqs. “Old timer, are you there?”
Craig came on the radio. “I’m in position.”
“Stand by. I’ll be along shortly.”
For the moment he was in the clear. Rico brought the APC to a halt under the bridge. “Everybody out.”
“What are you doing boss,” I asked.
“I’m going to destroy this thing.”
“What are we to do?”
“Escape, go to ground.”
“We can’t just let you get yourself killed while we run away,” argued Laura.
“You’ve got to get these people to another safe house. Now go.”
“Rico, you’re going to need at least one of us. Let me stay.”
“Okay Pacho. Make sure you have some ammo.”
Laura and Craig passed me some of what they had and I took the turret.
There was some grousing but the rest went. They were double stacked, but they headed out with the people from the safe house.
I slid the helmet back on and loaded up a fresh mag; that made four more at the ready, plus a couple more for the .308. I didn’t know what we were about to do, but whatever it was, I was as ready as I could get. I stuck my head out just in time to see the van pull away.
“Little Bear, this is Raider.”
“I was wondering where you were. I’m afraid they’ve shot my tires out and probably cut a fuel line. I’m surrounded and pretty much out of options.”
“Where are you?”
After some fumbling about, he finally was able to tell Rico where he was located. “Hang on we’re on our way.”
Off we went. I was too jazzed to be afraid. Something about screaming along in a metal monster and being well armed gave me a feeling of invincibility. To my surprise Rico pulled into a gas station.
“Pacho, take this,” he said handing me a stack of hundreds. “And get a gas can as well.”
I must have looked confused, because he added, “It burns better if it’s full of fuel.”
“Right boss.”
It’s probably safe to say that the station attendant had never had an APC pull up to his pumps. I went out the back with my grease gun at the ready, and walked into the store. There was a no concealed weapons sign on the door. Fortunately, mine wasn’t concealed.
“Hello,” I said trying to sound as if I do this all the time. I laid the hundreds on the counter and said, “I need to fill that vehicle up, and do you have any gas cans?”
“Uh yeah, back there.” He pointed.
“Thanks.” I grabbed two five-gallon cans and headed for the door.
“We don’t normally take large bills.”
“That’s all I have. It should cover it and then some.”
“Sure, don’t you want your change?”
“Keep it.”
Rico was filling the tank. “Did you get my stamps?” he said smiling.
“They’re all out.”
“Just my luck. Fill those with gasoline.”
I did so and strapped them in tight. Soon we were back on the road, and in a few minutes we found Little Bear’s location. They sat in the middle of an intersection surrounded by police cruisers and sheriff’s department SUVs and pickups.
“I didn’t think that they had that much hardware left,” Rico said into the intercom.
“Maybe we can do something about it.”
“I think so; button up.” With that Rico proceeded to run up over every vehicle they had. One guy jumped on top, but I convinced him of the folly of that action.
Rico headed over to the embattled SWAT vehicle. He backed up to the passenger side door, and while I kept their heads down, Commander Lee’s team piled inside.
“Commander Rico, thank you for the save,” said Lee extending his hand.
“It was the least I could do old boy,” he said taking it.
“Pacho, see if you can make that thing burn.”
“You got it boss.” At that moment Red reached over and took my arm. I hadn’t known she was with this team.
“Be right back,” I said to her. I doused the inside of the SWAT vehicle with gas, then used my lighter to set bit of paper on fire and tossed it in.
I slammed the hatch and quickly found my helmet. “Okay boss it’s burning.”
“Hang on.”
He floored it and away we sped in a hail of bullets. Red was up in the turret returning fire. Man, I love a redhead with a rifle. I slipped up behind her and opened up as well.
After we were away, Red turned to me and taking my face in both hands kissed me hard and we drank deep.
Lee was on the radio arranging pick-up. He and Rico were up to something. We pulled up in front of a Federal Reserve Bank. They are not federal nor do they have reserves. It’s just a cabal that President Woodrow Wilson and a few members of Congress sold us out to a century ago.
Rico drove through the plate glass window, and the alarm blared. I barely managed to get out of the way of falling glass.
He halted near the stairwell and removed his helmet. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the last stop on the line. Please make sure you leave nothing as you disembark.”
They filed out, and I emptied the rest of one can inside the fully fueled APC.
Rico shouted, “I’m going to find the sprinkler system control and turn it off.”
Commander Lee led his people upstairs and ordered, “Block the stairwell doors open. I don’t want them to be able to close.” Then he shot out a window on the top floor.
I was busy pouring the last of the gas on anything that looked like it would burn. I torched it as our ride arrived.
“Man, Ricki is going to be jealous,” teased Red.
“Yeah,” I said. “We can’t let her have all the fun.”
The openings in the front and on an upper floor caused the stairwell to act like a chimney. The APC went off, and the flames swept up through the stairwell and shot out the top floor window. On the ground we could feel the suction as the flames leapt for the sky. The fire was spreading rapidly through the upper floors. It could be seen for miles. We mounted up and disappeared into the night leaving the statists to swat at phantoms.
Epilogue
Red and I lay in one another’s arms. It was raining outside and the wind whipped. It had turned cold. I slowly swam awake and felt the warmth of her soft skin.
Strangely enough my mind wandered off to the Revolution, particularly to the backcountry men who came to fight. They didn’t really have to come. They might have done all right by remaining neutral, but still they came. They came to Cowpens; they came to King’s Mountain. They came for liberty and to fight against the very idea of an all-powerful state.
The first shots in the next American Revolution had been fired. The statists had been put on notice, but it was only the beginning.
THE END
Born in Anderson, South Carolina. William C. Seigler discovered ear
ly on, a desire to see the world. While in the Army, he lived on the economy in Germany and worked on his German while making friends with the locals. He backpacked the Black Forest, visited the World War II concentration camp at Buchenwald, drank excellent beer at Oktoberfest in Munich, day hiked in the Swiss Alps, met a beautiful girl in Paris, consumed fish and chips late at night in London, and stood on the Acropolis in Athens. Later, William traveled by ship to Antarctica on a magazine assignment, flew cargo jets, and traveled in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. He received an MS in geology from the University of Texas at El Paso and now teaches geology at Weatherford College in Texas when not bow hunting, kayak fishing, or writing. He somehow managed to marry the prettiest Mexican girl and best cook west of the Pecos. He and Maria have one son. All these experiences and the people he met are woven into his tales. These stories often deal with men and women struggling to live their lives free of the statists-collectivists.
Other novels by William C. Seigler
Free’s World
Hell Fighters From Earth – Book One, A Time of Desperation
Hell Fighters From Earth – Book Two, The Legion of the Damned
World War III - Home Front: A Novel of the Next American Revolution - Book One – As Day turns to Night Page 27
