by R. P. Wolff
Zelda interrupted, “Forget about that. What do you have for me?”
Behind the policemen, several men were gathering weapons and running through the house.
The policeman said, “Well, there’s hundreds of them. They have school busses full of soldiers. They have military vehicles, pickup trucks, SUVs, and other vehicles. We formed a blockade at an intersection about five or six miles from here. They had too much firepower and were ready to kill us. We tried to call for reinforcements, but none of our radios worked or cellphones. We then took off towards the mansion to warn you.”
“What do you mean your radios don’t work?” Zelda asked. “Colin, have you radioed in for support?”
“I tried that already. My radio and cell phone don’t work.”
“Use the alternative communication.”
“I tried that as well. That doesn’t work either.”
“This is nonsense. Let me try my secure phone.” Zelda took out her phone and searched for Bruce Wade’s number, selected it, and put the phone to her ear. Nothing. She viewed the phone and saw that there was no signal. “Shit,” she exclaimed.
She noticed that the policeman raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing Zelda swear.
“What about the satellite phones?” she asked.
“I’ve already checked them,” Colin responded. “They don’t work. We’re in the shits.”
Zelda puffed. This was bad. Wow, the resistance had stopped their communications. Surely, the Maters could get the communications back. Zelda said, “Colin, you have to get more forces here. Some military helicopters. What are you going to do?”
“We can’t dispatch any helicopters because we can’t communicate with them. We have over a hundred men. They are getting in position. Thanks to this guy’s advance warning.” He nodded to the policeman, who was still breathing heavily. “Madam President, they’re going to be here any minute. Our guys are getting into position, and they’re ready to fight.”
“But it sounds like we are outnumbered.” Zelda shivered. Zelda wasn’t used to being at a disadvantage. She and her father always stacked the decks in their favor. They always had more supporters than adversaries in any setting.
“I know,” replied Colin. “Let’s get you to a safe spot and where we can watch the closed-circuit security cameras to see what’s going on outside.”
Gunfire erupted outside. It sounded like bombs exploding. “Boom, boom, boom!” Colin grabbed Zelda’s hand and rushed her towards the library. Colin motioned for three men to accompany them into the room. He yelled at two men walking by. “Hey, you two, guard this door with your life for the Mother of all the Gods. Do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
He closed the door behind them and deadbolted it. He directed the three guards in the room. “All of you stand by the door and guard it. Do not let anyone in.”
“Boom!” The house shook. Drywall dust sprayed into the room.
“Shit!” Colin grunted. “It sounds like they have mortars.”
Zelda said, “How did they get mortars? Let’s bombard them with our own mortars.”
“We don’t have any.”
“What do you mean we don’t have any?”
“Boom!” Another explosion that was nearer to them.
Colin gasped and ignored Zelda’s question. He rushed to the closed-circuit security monitors. Fortunately, they were working, and they had infrared cameras, so they could see what was going on outside the mansion.
Hundreds of infidels were surrounding the mansion and firing their weapons. The Maters were in secure positions behind cement pillars firing back. It sounded like a massive firework display. Flashes of light sprang out through the trees. To the east, south, and north, trees and shrubbery surrounded the mansion, which camouflaged the enemy.
The infidels started to advance on foot towards the mansion, but the Maters started throwing hand grenades, which momentarily stopped the infidel advance as several infidels bounced off the ground.
“Yes, thank the Gods that we have hand grenades,” Colin said.
“We need reinforcements, now!” Zelda yelled through the noise of the battle. “Can’t we get someone to drive and get other troops if our communications aren’t working?”
“Yeah, … um … we’ll see if we can get someone to go, but they are starting to box us in,” he said as he pointed to the different screens.
“Could you have picked a worse house to protect me?” she scolded him.
“Madam President, I have a plan B.”
“What’s that?”
“Boom!” The floor shook again. Zelda and Colin fell to the ground. The three guards held on to a brass railing attached to the wall. This explosion seemed to be a direct hit in the room next to theirs. It sounded like a fire was crackling in the other room.
Zelda couldn’t believe what was happening. Normally, she would exert her powers to bring things under control, but that wouldn’t do any good during this bombardment. She was helpless without any control and had to rely on the dumbass, Colin Grant. How did he ever become a general, she wondered?
They got up and watched the monitors. The infidels were advancing. The Mater police fired back, but the infidels were throwing their own hand grenades at the Maters. Maters were dying. It seemed like the infidels might penetrate the fortress within minutes.
Zelda pointed to the camera on the east side, which was an alley. There seemed to be an opening. “Hey,” Zelda said, “can’t we go to the alley and evacuate down there?”
Colin studied the screen. “We could try that, but I think we could get boxed in because the alley only has room for one vehicle. If they had a vehicle come down there, we would be dead.”
Zelda studied the other screens. She couldn’t believe it, but the infidels were clearly winning.
“Oh, shit!” Colin said. “Our guys are not holding them back.”
“What’s your plan B?” Zelda asked. She hoped it was a good plan because it seemed hopeless.
Colin glanced over to the men suspiciously. He then whispered into Zelda’s ear. “There’s a secret passageway in this library that has a tunnel that goes across the street to a building that is a Mater church. The previous owners told us about it.”
“How far is the tunnel?” Zelda was liking the Plan B so far.
“It’s almost a city block. We can either hide out at the Mater church or take a vehicle out of there and get reinforcements. We’ll take these three-armed guards to protect you.”
“I don’t want to hide out there. We have to get reinforcements.”
Chapter 36
Becca cried out loud, while laying on a cot in a gym full of fellow prisoners. She didn’t care anymore. No more pretending to be a tough girl. She didn’t care if she woke up her fellow prisoners even if it was past midnight. Her body ached. They beat her up badly this time. She could barely see out of one eye. No doubt she would have at least one black eye. She thought that they broke her jaw as it was severely swollen and throbbing.
After they broadcasted her torture, they took the disgusting small red ball out of her mouth that they strapped across the back of her head. She lay on her back because both of her sides ached more than her back, which also ached.
She cried out, “Why me? Why do they have to do this to me? I’m innocent.” She sniffled.
Even though she knew that she woke the other prisoners, none of them complained. In fact, they whispered their sympathies to her. That meant so much to Becca. It was good to know people were rooting for her.
Although she once begged her father not to turn himself in when the Maters were beating her on live TV, she regretted saying that now. She couldn’t stand the pain and humiliation anymore. She wanted her dad to turn himself in.
She wished Austin was there. She missed him. Other boys tried to hit on her, but she wanted nothing to do with them. She only had one love: Austin. However, the Maters told everyone that he died while escaping. Becca cried for d
ays upon hearing this news, but she held out hope that the Maters were lying. Afterall, they didn’t show her a body or anything. Oh, how she wished to hold him one more time. She dreamt he had escaped and would come back to save her as he promised.
The unmistaken sound and vibrations of rapid gunfire and explosions interrupted her thoughts.
“Boom! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.”
The ground shook like an earthquake. All the prisoners jumped out of their cots. The Mater guards were rushing around barking out orders to each other. They were stressed. They were being attacked but by whom? Who would be attacking the Harmon prison?
Becca asked the girl next to her, “What do you think is happening?”
Before the girl could respond, a boy nearby said, “I think someone is coming to save us.”
“Really,” Becca replied.
The gunfire intensified. Becca could hear glass shattering. The guards were yelling. “Seal the entrance. … You go there. … Get the bazooka. … Ammo, I need more ammo! … Shit, they’re coming. What do we do? … Get to the gym! Let’s seal off the gym!”
About ten guards rushed into the gym, slammed the double doors shut, and hastily wrapped thick chains around the push handles.
The guards shouted, “All of you lazy asses, stand by the doors. Now!”
One guard pointed a gun at a prisoner and shot the poor kid. Kids screamed and started scurrying towards the exit doors.
“I said get to the doors!” One of the guards yelled.
Becca hobbled towards one of the doors. Someone from the outside tried pulling the door opened but the door wouldn’t budge. The guards must have activated the lock along with the chain.
The person on the other side kept shaking the door and banging on it, shouting, “Please, let me in! They’re coming. Please let me in!”
One of the guards shook his head to the other guards, and said, “No, don’t let them in. It’s too late. Let’s use the kids as a shield.”
Those cowards, thought Becca. All the prisoners crammed to the walls while the Mater guards formed their own circle inside the prisoners near center court.
“Aaaah!”
“Boom, boom!”
The door stopped shaking. Whoever was out there trying to get in, must have been killed. The Mater guards in the gym were gasping. Becca loved seeing them squirm. Several of Becca’s fellow prisoners smiled and whispered, “Oh the Gods! We’re being rescued!” But they quickly hushed up and studied the guards. No one wanted an angry Mater to shoot them.
Then, Becca heard the most beautiful voice over the intercom. “Hello, prisoners. We are the Establishment, and we are here to rescue you.”
The prisoners cheered!
Becca sniffled, and her eyes watered. She knew the voice well. It was Austin! Her love. He wasn’t dead. He was coming to save her. She cracked a smile through her swollen jaw.
Her brave love continued, “To the Mater guards. We have captured the Mother of all the Gods. We have taken back the government. Open these doors immediately. If not, we will torture and kill all of you. There’s no hope for you. You are completely surrounded. We have already freed the prisoners sleeping in the classrooms. We have shut down your communications. We have overtaken the government. Open the doors now, or you will die a painful and slow death.”
Most of the guards knelt on one knee holding their rifles tightly while pointing them at the prisoners. Becca worried that they were going to gun the prisoners down. What a horrible way to die, she feared.
One of the Mater guards shouted from a bullhorn. “Bullshit! You come in here; we’re going to shoot all these damn kids. Don’t even try to barge through the doors. We will kill all these kids. Get the fuck out of here. Now!”
◆◆◆
Dust, smoke, and broken glass filled the former high school’s hallways. The gunfire and explosions stopped. Establishees positioned themselves and their rifles toward the gym doors, waiting for their commands.
Austin and several other Establishees met in the principal’s office. Lieutenant Jim Falzone, the leader of the group, was a former Navy seal. He had done many tours in Iraq with experience in urban warfare. Austin hoped that Becca recognized his voice and was still alive. He wondered if she missed him as much as he missed her.
Lieutenant Falzone panted and asked, “What are we going to do? Sergeant Foster, you were imprisoned here before. Is there a way into the gym besides those four doors?”
Austin thought for a moment and said, “Um … yeah. There are doors for the bleachers. The bleachers are rolled up. There’s a door to get in on both sides, but the problem is that the bleachers are going to block us because they’re rolled up.”
“Well, can’t we just push the bleachers from the inside?” Lieutenant Falzone asked.
“Yeah, we can push them out, but they’re going to see us. You know, I don’t think that’s going to work. We’ll be sitting ducks.”
“Damn it!” Lieutenant Falzone exclaimed.
One of the other Establishee said, “Why don’t we do a siege? They’ll eventually have to come out.”
“But they might kill all those kids,” the Lieutenant replied. “They’re nuts.” The Lieutenant paused. “We’ll do a siege for the time being until we come up with something better, but if they start shooting the kids we’re barging in right away.”
Austin spoke up, “Why don’t we shut off the lights and cut the power?”
Lieutenant Falzone raise his eyebrows and tilted his head. “That’s a really good idea. How do we do that?”
“The electrical panel is in a room just outside this office.”
“Okay, we shut off the lights, but then again they might start shooting the kids.”
Austin replied, “We need to be prepared. We need to be near the doors. We need to be prepared to blast open the doors on a moment’s notice.”
The Lieutenant replied, “But the kids are right there. How are we going to blast open the doors without harming the kids?”
“Damn it!” Austin grunted. “Motherfuckers. I fucking hate the Maters.”
“Okay, let me think about this,” Lieutenant Falzone said. “I think we still need to be ready to blast open the doors even if the kids are near the doors. We will warn the kids just before we blast the doors if the guards start shooting at the kids.”
Austin interjected, “You know, I think we should call General Cook. See what he thinks and find out whether they killed or captured the Mother of all the Gods.”
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. Let me give him a quick call.”
Lieutenant Falzone placed the call on his secret cellphone. When General Cook answered, he placed him on speaker phone for the team to listen.
General Cook gasped while speaking, “General Cook here, what’s up?”
In the background they could hear heavy gunfire. The battle was on. Austin feared the worst. If they didn’t overtake the Mother of all the Gods and she somehow escaped, they were all doomed. It was such a high-risk mission.
The Lieutenant replied hastily, “Yeah, General, this is Lieutenant Falzone at Harmon prison. We got the place. We sealed them off, but they got the kids locked up in the gym. We’re thinking of shutting off the lights and doing a siege.”
General Cook shouted over the explosions and gunfire, which seemed to intensify. “I can’t hear you. We’re in the middle of a major battle.”
“How’s it going out there?” Austin asked. Austin desperately wanted to know.
“We’re making progress. It’s a major firefight. We’re in the middle of it. They’re putting up a force, but we think we can overtake them. This is great, though, that you have overtaken the Harmon prison. So do you …” General Cook gasped, “has everyone been captured?”
The Lieutenant continued to shout and speak rapidly. “No, not all the guards. Some guards have the kids locked in the gym, and they’re threatening to shoot them. We got a siege going on, and we’re thinking of shutting the lights and electricity of
f in the gym. We wanted to check with you first, though.”
“They’re going to try to shoot the kids?” General Cook asked.
“Yeah, they already shot one kid, we think. We can barge into these doors, but we’re worried about the kids.”
“Keep charging!” General Cook yelled into the phone.
“Are you sure?” the Lieutenant asked.
There was a pause, and then General Cook spoke, “No, I was talking to my squad here.” General Cook sighed. “How many casualties do you have?”
“Not many, if any, but we haven’t counted. There are some injuries. We have saved about a couple of hundred kids, and we have moved them outside for the time being.”
“How many casualties on the other side?”
“We haven’t counted but probably over ten, but five surrendered to us. We have them sealed off in a room. The bastards. They went down like a bunch of pussies, crying and bitching.” The Lieutenant paused. “So what do you want us to do, General?”
“Okay, hold off for a few hours until the morning. We’re going to play the video of Governor Hampton. I would somehow pipe it into the gym, so they can watch it. The guards need to see this.”
“Should we shut off the electricity in the gym?” the Lieutenant asked.
“No, we can’t jeopardize the kids. Plus, we need power in the gym to show the Governor’s video.”
“Yes, sir,” the Lieutenant replied.
Before the call ended, Austin shouted, “General, kill that motherfucking Mother of all the Gods!” The men in the room cheered.
“We will,” General Cook shouted. “Good job, everyone.”
Chapter 37
Lance shook his head as the two-hour battled raged on. He had never been involved in anything close to an all-out battle. War was as horrible as veterans’ stories he had heard. Men and women on both sides grunted in pain—some screamed. The smell of smoke filled the air. Lance suspected that there were many casualties on both sides, but the Establishment was winning and close to overtaking the small remaining Mater forces guarding the mansion.
