Rebels & Lies (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

The USR won another victory in their war on terror today, as two
members of the resistance were brought to justice in their apartment. Three of
the USR’s finest took part in the raid, though the USR, per government policy,
will not release the names of the Agents. Consul Williamson had this to say,
however:

“What happened today was another victory for our great society. I
don’t know how many times I have to come up here and warn the resistance that
they will be found and executed. It’s unfortunate that these two young people,
however foolish they may be, had to succumb to their fates in this way, but…”

***

Kaspar fired three rounds from his Beretta 92. He peered at the
paper target in front to see how accurate he was this time. One of the rounds
hit the target just below the stomach, the other two missed. He grimaced,
slumped his shoulders, and shook his head. Paxton hadn’t told the others yet,
but Kaspar knew that there was a mission to come very soon, and he had to be
sharp out there. At least he hit one out of the three, but that wouldn’t do.
The Agent would still be alive to blow Kaspar’s brains out while his guts
spilled to the floor. Kaspar aimed his weapon again and prepared to fire.

“Whatcha up to?” Krys’s voice off in the distance asked.

He looked behind him and there she was: his tormentor from earlier
in the day. The sun began its descent behind her as she walked closer. While
she did, Kaspar tried hard to figure this woman out. She seemed to have split
personalities that could be switched on command. He had already seen Krys kill
without hesitation, but somehow he could tell that she was not a killer by
nature.

“Practice,” Kaspar said, “if you don’t mind.”

“Knock yourself out.” Krys replied, she held a P99 in her right
hand.

Kaspar turned his attention to the target in front of him once
more. He fired three more rounds into it. The shots to the chest were missed,
but he managed to hit it in the gut twice. The shot to the head went wide left.
He cursed and heard three shots fired in quick succession beside him. He peered
over to Krys’s target sheet.

“Is that what you’re trying to do?” she asked. Two shots hit the
chest, the final at the top of the head.

“Yes.” Kaspar replied.

“Try again.”

He breathed in and focused on nothing but the target in front. His
hands kept steady, his opened eye in sync down the sight. He pulled twice, then
moved the gun up and fired once at the head. Kaspar lowered his weapon and
looked at the results.

“Son of a bitch.” Kaspar said. He placed the gun on the table then
leaned forward with both arms.

“Don’t let it get you down,” Krys said. “You think I learned to do
that overnight?”

“I’ve got to get this down, otherwise how am I ever going to…”

“Listen, man, you just need to relax.”

“Relax? You expect me to relax while my mother’s killers are
running free out there?”

Kaspar picked up the gun and fired three more times, his aim less
careful. He nailed the two shots to the chest, but once again missed the head
shot. The slide on top of the gun locked back.

“Well,” Krys said, “at least he’ll suffer a bit before he goes.”

“That’s very funny.”

“I know it is. Get that stick out of your ass.”

“Ha.”

“You’ve been out here a long time,” Krys observed. She placed her
gun on the table and motioned towards the house with her head. “Why not take a
breather?”

Kaspar placed his gun down and followed Krys towards the back
porch without a reply. The woman took a seat on one of the wooden steps. When
Kaspar took his seat next to her he made sure not to sit too close so she
wouldn’t invade his personal space. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket
and lit up. He took a drag. Next to him, Krys made an exaggerated fanning
motion with her hand in front of her nose.

“Why do you do that?” she asked.

Kaspar took another drag, “What?”

“
That
.”

Kaspar looked down at the burning stick in his hand. “I don’t
know.”

He continued to look down at the burning end of the cigarette
before he dragged on it again. The smoke caused him to feel light headed; the
nicotine cured the craving that grew more intense each day. He looked up at the
setting sun which created a palette of orange, red, and dark blue. A sight more
appealing to the eyes than the drab gray that filled the skies every day.

“Beautiful…” Krys said as she stared off in wonder.

“Sure is,” Kaspar replied in between drags.

“Not much of a talker are you?”

“Not much.”

Krys looked over at Kaspar and smiled. “But, you are a real pain
in the ass.”

“I guess…” Kaspar started to say, his speech interrupted by a
cough.

“Not much fun is it?”

“We’re all gonna die, right? Might as well enjoy the little
things.” He held the cigarette high.

Krys frowned. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Kaspar peered into her eyes. “School me.”

“The little things are…like that.” Krys pointed out towards the
setting sun. “Not killing yourself.”

“Yeah, well, keep your judgments to yourself.”

“You know, wanting to help you out is not judging.”

The two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. His smoke
had long since been over and the sun completed its descent to the bottom of the
sky. Kaspar looked over at Krys who just stared off into the heavens.

“You okay?” Kaspar asked.

“Hmm?” Krys replied.

“I don’t know, you just look like you’re deep in thought, I
guess.”

“I was…just thinking…” Krys said and laughed, “Talk about
redundancy, right?”

Kaspar let out a laugh. His eyes stared deep into what he could
still see of her brown eyes. He felt something force him to look away. He
reached into his pocket for another cigarette, but felt the woman’s hand over
top his. Why did she care?

“Come on, can’t it wait?” Krys asked.

“Sure, I guess it could.”

“Good. So, how was your day?”

“What do you mean?” Kaspar asked.

“What I said.”

“It was okay, I guess. You know, got to meet some people…Greg says
‘hi’ by the way.”

Krys rolled her eyes, “Tell me about it, that guy’s had his eye on
me for a while.”

“Both eyes, probably.”

Krys let out a fake giggle and said, “How are you holding up?
Everything going well?”

“Everything except for the complete boredom.”

“Don’t worry, soldier”. She replied, her words simultaneous with a
playful punch to Kaspar’s arm. “You’ll be fightin’ in no time.”

Krys straightened her back and stretched her upper body forward.
Her black tee scooted up as she did and Kaspar caught a glimpse of the bottom
of a tattoo. He stared at it and tried to figure out…

“See something you like?” Krys asked with a wry smile.

“That tattoo,” Kaspar said without a flinch. His eyes met Krys’s
again, “It’s…nice.”

“Nice? Ha-ha, nice?”

“Yeah, nice.”

“Can’t you think of another word, I don’t know…”

“Beautiful?”

She was taken aback. “Something like that.”

“What does it mean?”

“Well,” Krys smiled, “you know how roses represent love and
everything? Well, this rose is dying—“

Kaspar interrupted with a laugh. He said, “I’d like to meet the
son of a bitch that broke your heart.”

Krys waved her right arm in front of her face. “Not like that,
think higher, like the world. There’s no love left, not that I can see anyway.”

“Who did it for you?”

“Ron, he’s really good. All those tats on his arms? He did those
himself, too. I’ve got another one.”

“Where? Let me see.” Kaspar said.

“I’m not letting you look there…”

Kaspar could feel his face burn while Krys just laughed. She
lifted up her shirt almost over her head. She turned her back towards him and
he saw the white…bird tattooed on her shoulder. The wings were spread out wide
with blood splatter here and there on the body.

“A bloody pigeon?” Kaspar asked.

“A
dove…
it represents purity, you know? I told Ron to add
the blood splatters to contrast the life I’m forced to live now. I got it made
the first time I killed a man.” Krys replied. She let the shirt down.

“When was that?”

“Right after I first joined up…I shot a man and stared into his
dying eyes right before he passed.”

“How’d you deal with it?” Kaspar wondered.

“I can’t get his face out of my head, that’s how. His eyes, they
were so filled with fear and…I’m sorry, I just can’t talk about it.”

“You are awful hard on yourself, you know that?”

“Yeah, well, I’ve killed people.”

“They would’ve just done the same to you.”

Krys squinted her eyes, “Not everyone wants to kill somebody, you
ever think about that?”

Kaspar rubbed at the stubble of his chin. “What are you doing
here, then?”

“I fight for those people you saw at the park today. People like
your mother, who are killed for no reason. You really loved her, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did,” Kaspar said. He fought hard against the lump that
began to form in his throat. “She was the only person who…my father, he didn’t
give a shit about us, just took off and left.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“So,” Kaspar said in desperate need to change the subject. “These
people you kill. What about them?”

“It’s necessary,” Krys replied in a low voice. “But, that doesn’t
mean I have to feel good about it.”

“They are the enemy.”

“But, they are still human beings. A lot of those Agents out there
only do it because it’s a paycheck to put food on the table. It’s just as necessary
for them to do what they do as what I have to do.”

Kaspar could feel his insides burn. He couldn’t believe what he
was hearing. “That’s not an excuse. Don’t make excuses for them…they are a part
of a criminal organization that murders innocent people…”

Krys interrupted, “So what about you, then? You just here for the
kill? Hunt down those men who killed your mother and return the favor, right?
That all you care about?”

“Fucking A.”

“I see, well, I’m sure you’ll get your chance.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, it seems like nobody has any
clue as to what happened other than she’s dead.”

“All the same, I hope you get what you’re looking for.” Krys said.
She stood and headed for the door.

“Have a good one.” Kaspar said with his back to her.

“You too,” Krys said. The door creaked when she opened it. She
looked to Kaspar’s back before she stepped inside. “And, quit smoking.”

The door slammed behind him as Kaspar flicked the Zippo to light
another one. He sat there staring off into the distance while he smoked. His
thoughts went back to that hut. How joyful they were at the sight of something
as simple as bread. Was Mother’s life worth more than theirs? He went in for
another drag…

“Hey, Kas,” Ron’s deep voice called from the patio door.

“Yeah?” Kaspar asked, he turned his body around.

“Boss needs us now.”

Paxton stood in front of a large projection screen, the red and
white stripes of the American flag reflected on his face. He looked towards his
team members, who were filed in at the desks, eager to hear what was to be
said. The old veteran figured that this would be a simple mission, though he
was careful to keep that information from the others. Get in, get them out, and
make a run for it before the USR showed up.

“We’ve got a congregation of worshippers,” Paxton said. “They will
be meeting together for their weekly service tomorrow night. We’ve learned from
Boler that the USR have planned to raid that service then.”

Paxton nodded his head towards Clarke, who worked the projector in
the back. The projector was hooked into his military grade laptop. After a
couple of clicks the picture of the house popped up on the screen. Paxton
stepped away from the screen, the reflection on his face moved away with him.
The sound of his comrades moving forward in their seats filled his ears. He
knew that they were all eager; they had not been out since Zach met his fate.

“Our mission,” Paxton continued, “is to get them to safety.”

Krys spoke up, “Why not just tell them not to attend?”

“We don’t know who they are or how to get in touch with them…Boler
has no access to that Intel. This is an abandoned home as well, people. He only
knows when this is going down.” Paxton looked up and saw a raised hand. “Yes,
Ron?”

“Do we know how many men the USR will send in?” Kilbourne asked.

“No, we don’t. But, we do know the approximate time of their
arrival, which will be a few minutes after the service is scheduled. They’ll
want to get as many members as they can. We get in ten minutes before, get the
religious folks out…and pray there aren’t any stragglers.”

Kaspar leaned back in his chair and, with his head buried in his
palms, shook it from side to side. He removed his hands and looked towards
Paxton. He seemed so sincere about all this, but why? Kaspar raised his hand.

“Ryan?” Paxton called.

“What’s our angle in all this?” Kaspar wondered.

The entire room went silent. Kaspar could feel every pair of eyes
on him. He looked around and felt about five inches tall before he caught the
stern look from Paxton. The leader stood there and pondered at the question
without an answer.

Krys had a look of disappointment. “What do you mean ‘what’s our
angle’?”

Kaspar cleared his throat, “What I mean is, we’ve got some church
goers, and that’s all well and good. Worship whoever you want, but aren’t we
exposing ourselves a little bit…too much?”

“These people will die,” Paxton said with a look that could kill
itself. “At least the lucky ones will die right away. Do you know what happens
to people who break away from what the USR considers the perfect way of life?”

“I have an idea…”

“No, you have no idea!” Paxton cried. “Those less fortunate will
be tortured, the USR will demand where the other congregations are, and the
cycle continues. These poor people will die knowing that they betrayed their
faith and their fellow believers.”

“But,” Kilbourne chimed in. “Isn’t this almost exactly how we lost
Zach?”

Paxton shook his head. “I’ve told you people before that he
sacrificed his life for the greater good…which is more than any of us can say.
We can’t just stop…”

“Nobody’s suggesting that, Pax. But, maybe new guy has a point
here. Sure, a little collateral damage is never welcomed, but we could focus
our time on other things.”

Paxton folded his arms across his chest. “So, just let the USR
butcher them, is that it? Is that really your suggestion?”

“My suggestion,” Kilbourne replied, “is that we cut our losses and
focus in on recruitments. Get our forces stronger then go after the big guns. I
mean, we are going to go in with junior who’s under trained and can’t shoot
straight?”

Too bad, Kaspar thought as he shook off the comment, he was just
starting to like the guy. Paxton’s demeanor changed completely. He was starting
to grow nervous with the thought of losing his team’s morale. Kaspar started to
feel bad about his comment. In truth, he could care less either way, so long as
some Agents met their demise. He had no clue that he kicked at a hornet’s nest.

Krys slumped back in her chair. She rubbed her hands slowly
through her hair. “I can’t believe that we are even having this debate. Those
are innocent people we are talking about. We have the proper intelligence and
the manpower to save them, but here we are, arguing over whether it’s the
‘smart’ decision.”

Li, the Asian kid who never spoke, spoke up. “I agree, we can’t
turn a blind eye to this.”

“Thank you,” Paxton said. “Now, Ron, if you want to sit this one
out with the rookie then that is your choice, and we can live with that. But,
we are going to save those people, do I make myself clear?”

“I never said that I wanted to sit this one out.” Kilbourne said
as he rubbed his right fist into his left palm. “I’d never take a mission off,
you know that. I just question the timing.”

“And, I’ve taken it under advisement, anything else?”

Kilbourne shook his head. Everyone turned to Kaspar who shook his
head as well.

“Very well,” Paxton said. “Moving on, we know that they meet for
worship every Tuesday night at around 7:00. We will sneak in there at 6:50 and
get as many to safety as we can. Li?”

“Sir.”

“You will be watching the front door, be our eyes.”

“Understood.”

“Krys, Ryan?”

“Sir.” Kaspar said.

“Yes, sir.” Krys replied.

“You two will be with myself and Ron. We are to escort the people
to safety and keep them as calm as possible. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” they both said.

“What about me?” Clarke asked from the back.

Robert Clarke was the closest person that Paxton had to a friend.
Paxton sighed and placed his hands on his hips. Every mission, Clarke wanted to
be a part of the action, but everyone (including Clarke) knew that he was not
cut out for it. Yet and still, he volunteered his services, and grew more upset
each time he had to “sit one out”.

“You’ll be staying back,” Paxton replied. “You’ll be our eyes to
the outside, watching enemy movements and keeping track of radio traffic.”

“That’s it?” Clarke demanded.

“Isn’t it always?”

“Yes, but I want to be out there. I want to fight with you guys.”

“You are fighting with us,” Paxton replied. “You can trust me on
that. We need you back here. We need someone with your technical skills to keep
our asses informed out there.”

Clarke looked down at the keys of his laptop. “I understand,
John.”

Paxton watched as his friend’s head go straight down. He felt like
shit every time he had to do this. A part of him wanted to train his friend,
but the more thinking part of his brain informed that Clarke could never handle
combat. That killer instinct that every soldier needed…Clarke did not possess,
nothing even close to it, actually. He belonged behind a desk, not that there
was anything wrong with that. Clarke was extremely prolific at what he did. He
saved the team on more than one occasion with the perfectly timed flood of
Intel. Paxton remembered the day that Clarke told him that he didn’t feel like
a part of the team. Despite constant reassurance, his friend still felt the
same way. What Clarke didn’t realize, what Paxton knew, was that his role in
this war would be felt in the long run.

“Good,” Paxton replied. “Any question, you come see me.
Dismissed.”

The lights above came to life and illuminated the room once more.
Kaspar watched the others get up from their seats before he stood from his own.
He stretched his still sore body, but he knew that he was almost fully
recovered from his run in with Razor. He started to walk out before Paxton’s
booming voice rose.

“Can I see you a minute?”

“Sure,” Kaspar replied. He turned and faced his superior.

“If you ever think of undermining me again…”

“I wasn’t undermining…”

“Don’t interrupt.” Paxton snapped. “If you ever even think of
undermining me again in front of my team, think long and hard about it. I give
the orders here, you understand me? If you are not fully with us, if all you
seek is vengeance, then see your way out. But, as long as I’m in command, you
will obey my orders. I told you before, if you have concerns, you bring them to
me or Ron in private. Do I make myself clear?”

“As day,” Kaspar replied. “May I go now?”

“Go on about your business, soldier.”

All his talk about freedoms, liberties, and all he does is parade
around like a dictator
. Kaspar shook his head and walked outside
towards the firing range again, his trigger finger with an insatiable itch. The
thought of going it alone struck his mind once more, but he shook it off
immediately.

He needed them…for now.