Ameristocracy (10 page)

“Good thing we’re here then,” answers Charles.

Mendez shoots a look at Maggie, who sits next to Jack, loading herself up with weaponry. “You know how to handle that stuff?”

Before Maggie can answer, Angel pipes up. “Hey! Don’t be sexist, tough guy.”

Mendez looks at Angel’s bulging biceps, then at Maggie’s confident look as she inspects her weapon and realizes they’re
gonna
be okay. “Cool. Lock and load...”

All eyes shift to the window as the massive retreat draws closer.

Blam
!
Blam
!
Blam
!
Sporadic gunfire.
A shootout is underway on the ground between surviving Secret Service agents and a cadre of militant insurgents.

“Looks like we’re just in time,” mutters Mendez.

Everyone readies
their
weapons as the chopper touches down on the landing pad.

Blam
!
Blam
!
Blam
!
Gunfire peppers the area as Jack and his crew storm out of the chopper.

Nearby, a Secret Service agent turns, about to fire on Jack and his crew, but stops when he sees Mendez.

Suddenly, bullets shatter the windshield, which draw a line of holes across the side of the chopper.

Jack turns, sees the bullets tracing a direct line to the gas tank.
“Gas!”
He scrambles toward the tree line, beckoning
for his
compatriots to follow suit. “Go, go, go, go,
go
!”

The mercenaries dive for cover just as…
Boom!
The chopper bursts into a fiery ball of flame.

They cover their heads, holding tight against the licking flames until the fireball recoils. They stare in disbelief at the destruction.

Blam
!
Blam
!
Blam
!
Bullets pepper the trees behind them, bark and leaves
showering down upon them.

“We’ve
gotta
find Lombard,” yells Jack.

Charles points toward a building across the way. “Main lodge is right over there.”

Getting cover fire from Angel and Luke, Jack, Charles and Wilcox bound in that direction.

Maggie follows behind, but
her path is cut off by a string of bullets
.
She’s
pinned down.

“Maggie!” shouts Jack, looking back.

Charles grabs him by the elbow and pulls him forward. “She’s with us because she can handle herself. Now, let’s go.”

Jack watches as Maggie scurries for cover behind helicopter wreckage. She gives him a nod, telling him to go, and he moves on. She fires a rifle toward the hostiles until it runs out, and she clicks empty rounds.

Arriving at the main lodge, Jack grabs the doorknob and tries to open the door.
No good.
“Locked...”

Blam
!
Blam
!
Bullets hit the wall around them, so Jack, Charles, and Wilcox duck for cover.

Clank! They look up to see the doorknob and lock falling off the door.
It’s
been shot off. They turn toward the tree line where Angel winks at them, smoke billowing up from her gun barrel.
It was her shot that
opened the door for them.

Jack, Charles, and Wilcox nod their appreciation to their fellow soldier. “Impressive,” says Jack.

“Hell yeah,” replies Charles.

They bolt to their feet and push through the door. Jack and Charles charge in first, guns drawn.

They find Vice President Hawkins holed up inside. There are two dead Secret Service agents on the floor and Hawkins is holding one of their guns. “Thank God you’re here. I’ve been pinned down…”

“Drop the gun,” yells Jack.

Hawkins looks surprised to see Jack aiming his piece at him. “What are you doing? Can’t you see there’s a firefight going on out there?”

Jack nods. “And you’re responsible.”

Hawkins looks surprised. “Me?”

“No one stands to gain from the president’s death more than you,” argues Jack.

Hawkins shakes his head, turns to Charles. “Agent Long, tell him I’m one of the good guys.”

Charles stares into Hawkins eyes, as though trying to read the man’s soul. Finally, he reaches over, places his palm on the barrel of Jack’s gun and lowers it. “He’s right. Besides, why would he just be standing here if he was after the president?”

Jack’s
still suspicious. “Maybe the president is already dead.”

Hawkins shakes his head. “No. Phelps took him.”

“Where?” asks Jack.

“I don’t know,” explained Hawkins. “He came barging in with two men…”

“Secret Service?” interrupts in Charles.

“No.
Paramilitary.
They shot these two agents and took President Lombard out of here. When I tried to follow, I started taking heat from outside. They’ve got this entire place surrounded.”

Jack slowly nods. “Okay. Let’s move.”

Charles moves to the window and peers out. He sees the firefight continuing outside. He signals to Mendez who is by the tree line.

Mendez sees the signal and turns to Luke.
“You!
Come with me...”
Then, to the others.
“Cover us.”

Keith and Angel step forward and start offering cover fire as Mendez and Luke sprint toward the main lodge.

They arrive at the front door just as Jack and Charles rush out, with Hawkins right behind them.

Jack’s eyes
are drawn
to the helicopter wreckage.
Doesn’t
see Maggie anywhere.

“She’ll be…
”
says Charles.

“I know!” yells Jack.

Suddenly, the gunfire picks up.
Blam
!
Blam
!
Blam
!
It tears up the earth in front of them, stripping away the paint on the building behind them.

No time to wait, they rush into action, following Jack’s lead toward the presidential cabin. This time, Jack wastes no time in firing a shot at the doorknob. The door flies open and the group rushes inside.

They immediately come under gunfire.
Blam
!
Blam
!
Blam
!

They dive for cover and return fire, the room quickly awash in gunfire and smoke. Everyone seems pinned down as the bullets spray across the room relentlessly.
It’s
like a stalemate, bullets flying everywhere but no one seeming to win.

Until Jack steps it up a notch.
He rises from the corner where he has been crouching down and sprints across the room. He fires
non stop
as he does so, taking out one gunman after another by sheer will and determination and the willingness to step into the line of fire to win out.

And
as the bodies drop, the gunfire comes to an end. Jack stands in the middle of the room, smoking gun in hand, while those around him watch in awe.

Hawkins’ eyes bulge in amazement and he shoots a look over at Charles. “Did you know he could do that?”

“I don’t even think he did. Okay, well maybe he did...”

Jack turns and starts searching the lodge. Soon, the others are following along.

“What the hell’s going on anyway?” asks Hawkins.

“We believe there’s a bomb planted here somewhere,” answers Charles.

“A terrorist attack?”

Smash! Before Charles can reply, the window behind them shatters and a grenade
comes
flying in.
Clunk!
Clunk!
Clunk!
It tumbles across the floor.

Charles dives on top of Hawkins while Mendez dives on top of the grenade...
Boom!
It explodes, taking Mendez along with it.

Jack and Wilcox look up, surprised to be alive. Ten feet away, Charles climbs off the Vice President, both men having survived.

Charles swallows hard as he thinks of the fallen agent. “Agent Mendez...”

Hawkins slowly nods. “He was a good agent. Did his job till the bitter
end.
”

Suddenly, a clanking noise catches their attention. They quickly follow the sound into bedroom.

Luke charges toward the window, ready to give cover fire, as Hawkins searches the room. He throws open the closet door and finds nothing but suits. He’s about to say something when Jack steps in front of him, finger pressed to his lips to silence him. Hawkins nods his willingness to stand mute while Jack and Charles move toward the bathroom.

The door flies open and Jack and Charles rush in, guns drawn. The room appears to be empty.
But
Jack notices something askew. The porcelain top on the toilet tank is missing. He nods toward it and Charles sees the same thing. They furrow their brow, neither sure what to think.

Suddenly, Lombard charges out of the shower, swinging the porcelain piece! “
Aaaagggghhh
!!”
He wields the white porcelain tank lid mightily, having no idea who
he’s
swinging on.

Jack ducks just in time and the lid goes smashing into the sink mirror, shattering it. All eyes and guns turn on the president, who balls his fists, ready to battle some more.

“Mr. President, wait!” yells Hawkins.

Lombard glances around and sees Hawkins and Luke stepping into the room behind Jack and Charles. “I better get an explanation and fast.”

Hawkins motions to the others. “These men are on our side. How’d you get free?”

“Two good agents lost their lives to save me. They opened fire, but Phelps escaped into the woods. Fortunately, I was able to make a break for it.”

Luke is confused. “I don’t understand.
They’ve
had access all along. Why would they wait so long?”

“Well,” speaks up Hawkins. “Phelps just approached me about the Renewed Society. I told him I stood with the President, but he knew the Speaker of the House would oppose it. He must have decided to wait until he could get us both in one shot.”

Lombard nods. “When his little plan got interrupted, I figured this was the best place to hide, but when I heard gunshots out there I knew I was going to have to get into the fight.
But
I didn’t expect you to charge in like that. I expected... him!”

All eyes turn to see a masked gunman charging into the bathroom, gun trained on Lombard’s head. Through the slits in the masked gunman’s ski mask, his eyes dart about, seeing the armed men in the room, knowing
he’s
outnumbered.
But
he does have the president in his sights. “Back out right now. Back away or the president dies.”

Jack points his gun directly at the masked gunman.

“What are you doing?” explodes Hawkins, looking at Jack.

Jack moves in on the masked gunman, pressing the barrel of his own weapon against the man’s head.

“You’re putting the president at risk!” yells Charles.

Jack shakes his head. “No. The president’s already dead.” He turns to the masked gunman.
“Right?
If we
don’t
walk away, the president’s dead.
Right?
But
if we do walk away, he’s dead too. So... that being the case, we don’t have much of an incentive to back away, now do we?”

The masked gunman swallows hard, knowing his
bluff’s
been called. He and Jack glare at each other for what seems an eternity before the masked gunman makes his move.

He spins his gun around, off the president and toward Jack...
Blam
!
He fires. The bullet hits Jack in the shoulder, spinning him around, knocking him back against the door. He slumps to the ground, bleeding.

Blam
!
One shot from Charles drops the masked gunman. He then turns to Jack, who is pushing himself back up from the floor.
 
“He got you.”

“But he didn’t get the president,” replies Jack, proud.

Wilcox inspects Jack’s shoulder wound.
It’s
bleeding but it’s probably not lethal.
“Just a scratch.
You’re
gonna
make it.”

“Thanks, Doc,” grimly smiles Jack, looking at him.

Crash!
A bullet tears through the window and rips through Luke, killing him instantly.

Jaws drop. Everyone stands in shock until Hawkins yells out. “C’mon!” He heads out of the bathroom.

Just outside the lodge, by the trees, Angel and Keith
are pinned down,
taking heavy fire. Cole takes a bullet to the temple, topples over backwards.

Crash!
A twig snaps behind them. Keith spins around and… Slice! In one swift, vicious move, a combat knife slashes deep into Keith’s neck and chest. He falls instantly.