Rebels & Lies (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 1) (27 page)

“Krys,” Clarke said. “You need to stay focused.”

“I’m focused on that door. You just stay focused on getting that
Intel.”

Clarke typed away at the third computer, the one remote linked to
the archives. He kept looking over to the middle monitor, to ensure that no one
would catch Krys by surprise. He looked around at all the files. It took him a
few seconds, but he found the one he was looking for. He double clicked on it.
What he saw caused his eyes to grow wide.

“Umm, John?” Clarke said.

“What is it?” Paxton demanded.

“This is pretty major, just like The Committee said.”

“How so?”

“Well, it’s,” Clarke looked over to the middle monitor. “Oh, shit,
Krys!”

Krys jumped for her seat, her gun still aimed at the door.

“What?” Krys demanded.

“You’ve got two bogeys moving in your direction. Take that memory
stick I gave you and stick it in one of USB ports. We need to download this. I
have no time right now.”

Krys pulled out the memory stick from the pouch next to her right
breast. She scanned the computer for a USB port. She found it, stuck the memory
stick in, and then ran to the left side of the room. She hid herself underneath
one of the computer stations. She held her pistol up next to her cheek and
waited.

0.4…3.9…8.2…

The doors flew open and the two guards entered the room. She could
hear the sound of their feet walking against the tile floor. They were also
conversing with one another. Krys could not make out what they were talking
about nor did she care. She focused her mind. She had to be ready to kill these
two men if circumstances called for it. Krys kept a firm grip on her pistol.
She hoped that she wouldn’t have to use it.

“Just shut up,” one of the guards said. “Go get that roster sheet
off the printer for the boss.”

Clarke’s voice was clear and steady over the ear piece. “You
cannot let them see that download. They will know there’s an intruder. They
will raise the alarm and you’ll never make it out of there. Take them out,
now.”

***

“What do we do?” Kaspar demanded from the back of the van. His
grip tightened on his PSD as he started to make his way toward the back.

“We wait,” Paxton replied. “We can’t just go storm in there now,
it’ll raise the alarms. Krys is fine. She’ll make it out of this.”

“What if she doesn’t?” Kaspar pleaded. “We have to go in there
right now!”

“No!” Kilbourne shouted. “We all feel the same as you. Storming
that building will not only get yourself killed…but her as well. She has to
make her own way out of this.”

Kaspar sat back down. “Fine. But if things start to look bad, I’m
going in there after her.”

***

Precision would be the name of Krys’s new game. She breathed heavy
underneath the cubicle. Her hands damp under her gloves. She had to take the
both of them out at the same time. If not, if her aim was slightly off, they
would raise the alarm…

“Krysta!” Clarke shouted. “He’s almost there, you have to…”

Krys popped up from her hiding spot. She eyed her two enemies who
stopped in their tracks, alarmed at the sight of the intruder. The guard close
to the computer tried to draw his gun. He took a bullet to the throat instead
and dropped to the ground. Krys moved her pistol with a calculated fury towards
the second guard. He was already darting towards the alarm. Three trigger pulls
later and he had three bullets in his back.

“The download is almost complete,” Clarke said. “Get that memory
stick and get the hell out of there.”

The blood from the guard’s throat was still fresh on the screen
when Krys arrived to the computer. She holstered the P99. Her eyes became
transfixed on the screen. She gave the memory stick nervous taps as she watched
the download progress.

82.8…93.4…99.2…100

She yanked the memory stick out so hard she almost ripped the end
of it out. She replaced the stick back in the pouch on her flak jacket. Clarke
informed her that the coast was clear in the hall, but she would have to do
something about the guard by the side door. Krys thanked him for the good news
then treaded past the dead bodies back out into the hallway.

Once again her back was pressed against the wall. She sidestepped
her way to the end. A diversion would be necessary to get that guard moved from
his post. Inside one of the pouches of the flak jacket rested spare magazines
for the pistol. She took hold of one and tossed it down the hall.

“The fuck was that?” the guard posted at the door called out.

The guard shouldered his submachine gun and walked towards the
hall. When he reached it, Krys could see the end of the gun. She grabbed at it
and yanked it from the surprised guard’s hands. The gun crashed to the ground.
Krys spun and aimed her pistol. The guard did a chopping motion. The force of
the chop caused Krys to drop the weapon.

He grabbed Krys by the throat and back peddled her towards the
wall. When she hit the wall, Krys could feel her head become light. In
desperation, she kneed the guard hard to the groin. He backed off and released
his grip. He composed himself with almost inhuman quickness and threw a punch.
Krys ducked and his fist met the wall. The guard breathed heavy in pain. Krys
pulled out her combat knife. She thrust the sharp, pointed end into the guard’s
gut.

The intruder ran for her pistol, picked it, and then sprinted
towards the side door.

“Robby?” Krys said.

“You’re clear to the garage, but hurry.”

Krys ran as hard as her legs could take her. She flung the door
open then made a break for the garage. Once inside, she grabbed both door
handles and the doors flew open. She entered the van and took a seat on the
bench.

With the engine still running, Paxton put the van into the first
gear, and then slammed his foot on the gas. The tires screamed on the cement
pavement. The van shot out of the garage.

Krys tore off her mask. She made contact with Kaspar’s concerned
eyes. She gave him a cocky half smile and pulled out the memory stick from her
flak jacket. Krys moved towards the front. She handed the stick into
Kilbourne’s awaiting left hand. Kilbourne took the stick and inserted it into
the black laptop that rested on his lap.

“Pretty impressive, huh?” Krys asked aloud as she moved back to
her seat.

“Pretty impressive,” Kaspar replied. “Or pretty stupid. What were
you thinking, agreeing to do that?”

“I told you I would be fine. You think that was the first time
I’ve had to sneak into a building?” Krys fired back. She patted Li on the
shoulder. “Yung knows, don’t cha?”

Kaspar ignored Li’s head nods. “What if they would have caught you
in there?”

“Then I’d be dead. But, they didn’t catch me, did they?”

“I…guess you’re right.”

Krys’s eyes lit up. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”

“Of course I was. You were going in there all alone…”

“Is Mr. Tough Guy Boxer getting sentimental on me?” Krys asked.
Her eyes grew wider which forced Kaspar to feel that strange feeling again…

“Yeah, well, don’t get too excited.” Kaspar replied.

“Who said I was excited?” Krys replied with a frown.

Up front, Paxton listened with great interest to what Clarke was
explaining to him. He listened with disbelief as Clarke revealed what was going
on with the water supply. Apparently, the USR had pumped a top secret,
experimental drug into it. The funny thing about the drug was that it only
seemed to affect women, based on the reports Krys managed to download.

“Holy shit,” Clarke said.

“What now?” Paxton wondered.

“You’re not going to believe this…how could this be?”

“Just spill it already!”

“The team leader for this operation is…”

Paxton listened to Clarke rattle off the name. He cursed out loud
then slammed his fist onto the dash board. Paxton ordered Clarke to run that
name by him again. He just couldn’t believe what his friend was saying to him.
Clarke repeated the name.

“Any possibility that that’s a mistake?” Paxton asked.

“None,” Clarke replied.

Kilbourne moved the computer screen over for Paxton to take a look
over. The name was there, in bold letters, clear as day.

That name…how could it be?

Kaspar looked to the front. Something caught his eye out of the
windshield. This neighborhood…it looked too familiar. He searched his mind for
a moment. It took a few seconds of reflection to realize where they were. It
had been a while since the last time he was here, when Krys helped him escape
his apartment, actually.

“Hey, boss,” Kaspar said. “What are we doing here? Does Danny have
a recruit for us or something?”

Paxton sighed. “Yeah, kid, something like that.”

“Well, that silly son of a bitch picked a funny time to tell us
about it, right in the middle of an operation.”

“This operation hasn’t ended.”

Kaspar could feel his stomach turn. What could that mean, this
operation hasn’t ended? Did Danny know something vital? But, how could he, if
he only handled the recruitment part? Kaspar decided just to sit and wait. He
didn’t have the heart to ask Paxton what he meant. He looked around the back
and saw Krys’s eyes staring into his. Kaspar looked away from them and stared
down at his gloved hands. He rubbed them together. What did it all mean?

The van came to a halt. The team threw on their masks then filed
out. Kaspar was the last squad member out. He grabbed the double doors and
slammed them shut. With his PSD slung over his shoulder, he started to make his
way towards the house. Something grabbed him from behind on his arm.

“Ryan.” Paxton said through his mask.

“Yes, sir?”

“Danny…he’s been playing both sides.”

Kaspar gripped his PSD with both hands. “Run that by me again?”

“He’s been working for them.”

“No way,” Kaspar said. A wave of denial hit him. “Not
Danny…there’s no way.”

“I’m afraid it’s true. Robert confirmed it for me.”

“Then there’s a mistake.”

“No,” Paxton said. He shook his head. “There is no mistake. His
name is all over those reports we just got. He’s signed off on all of them.”

“No…no.”

“Ryan, I know this is going to be difficult for you. But, I need
you to stay calm in there. We need whatever Intel he has.” Paxton said in a
soft yet stern voice.

“Look, we’ll get the information from him. But, I’m sure there’s
some kind of explanation for all this. If he is working for them, then how come
he helps you with your recruiting?” Kaspar wondered.

“That’s what we’re here to find out. Can I trust you on this?”

“Yes, sir.” Kaspar replied. He reaffirmed his grip on his gun.

“All right,” Paxton replied with a head motion to move in.
“Showtime, kid.”

Denial still filled Kaspar’s mind as he followed Paxton to the
house. There’s no way, he kept telling himself. Not Danny, not the man who
became like a father to him…the father that he never had. When he reached the
front porch, his fists balled together in anger as another thought entered:
Mother.

The front door’s foundations were shattered after a hard kick from
Kilbourne’s boot. Everyone filed through the front of the house with their
weapons drawn. Kaspar was last once more, his PSD shouldered, his finger on the
trigger and ready to fire. Danny walked through the back hallway with his robe
on and a drink in hand. He didn’t look surprised at all, almost like he had
invited guests over for cocktails.

He was ordered to place his hands on his head by Paxton. Danny did
so. His glass went crashing to the ground and shattered on the tile floor. The
light brown liquid moved in all directions. Danny showed a look of
disappointment.

The old man then walked across the kitchen to the dining room. He
pulled back one of the chairs next to his table and sat down. He pulled a pack
of his cigarettes out of his bathrobe and laid them on the table. Danny moved
his eyes across to each of the masked vigilantes in his kitchen without saying
a word to any of them. Kaspar had to fight back every impulse inside to shoot
Danny in his face and be done with it.

Answers first. That was the only thought that kept him from
pulling the trigger.

“You all can take off those masks,” Danny said. He opened the pack
of smokes and shook one out. “I know who you all are.”

Kaspar was the first to rip his mask off. Moisture started to build
up in his frozen blue eyes. Tears that were equal parts anger, fatigue, and
sadness. He looked Danny square in the eye, the only thing his old friend could
do was look away. Kaspar kept his gaze on him, as well as his PSD aimed right
at the chest.

“Ryan,” Paxton said as he took of his mask. “Lower your weapon.”

The order went unheard. His aim, true and steady, remained. His
trigger finger ready to fire if Danny so much as made a move or a sound. He was
lost in his own world where vengeance rained down on the deserving. Just do it,
Kaspar thought as his trigger finger began to tremble. Do it!

“Kaspar!” Paxton yelled.

“Sir,” Kaspar replied.

“Remember what we talked about outside.”

Kaspar lowered his weapon. He shook his head as he did so. Danny
breathed a sigh of relief. At least he would get to live a little bit longer, a
prospect that Kaspar did not want to acknowledge. He wanted the treacherous son
of a bitch killed right here and now. He breathed in then spit on Danny’s floor.
Kaspar turned his back to his new enemy. It was the only thing he could do to
prevent himself from doing something stupid. He looked at Krys as he walked
into the living room. Her face, which had given him comfort before, did not do
so. Not now.

“Just a matter of time, I guess.” Danny said. He placed the
cigarette between his lips.

Paxton stepped forward. “Danny, just what in the hell is going
on?”

“I guess you figured me out, eh, John?”

“Just answer the question. We’ve got you signing off on USR
documents. Documents that name you as a team lead for one of their operations.
Is that true?” Paxton demanded.

Danny removed the cigarette from his lips. “Yes.”

“Why? What caused you to turn?”

“Whoever said anything about turning?” Danny asked with a laugh.
“Has it even occurred to you that I’ve been working with them this whole time?”

“How is that possible?” Paxton wondered.

Danny laughed and replaced the cigarette back between his lips. He
took his Zippo, using the flame to light up. He took a slow drag, a laugh allowing
the smoke to escape his mouth. Danny stared at the five faces that looked stone
cold right back at him.

“We need you.” Danny said once he composed himself.

“What?” Paxton demanded.

Danny took another drag. Paxton pondered in the brief moment of
silence what he was just told. Danny had been a double agent, playing both
sides at the same time. Or, was he only playing one side? Something about that
statement, ‘we need you’, caused his heart to sink and mind to race. He gripped
his Glock with both hands. Danny had better start answering his questions right
now.

“You ever notice,” Danny said between puffs, “how every time you
guys cause a ruckus, the USR seems to get bigger? The enforcement on the
streets grows. The arrest counts stack higher.”

Paxton grit his teeth. “You’ve been using us…this whole time.”

“Life’s a bitch, ain’t it, soldier?”

Escalation. A term that Paxton was familiar with at an intimate
level. He had to be to even start his own unit. Escalation was something he
knew would happen when he built his rebel unit in the first place. His team
would fight the corruption around them. The USR would step up enforcement as it
would be necessary for them to fight back. They would grow desperate to find
the ‘terrorists’ responsible for the chaos in the city. Paxton was desperate,
as well, to see things change; to aid in the destruction of the USR. In that
desperation, it never dawned on him that he could be used so that the tail end
of escalation could take place. Paxton’s breathing grew heavy.

“How deep does this shit go?” Paxton demanded.

“You think there are other rebels out there, don’t you?”

“Of course there are.”

“We’ve been able to eliminate them.” Danny took a drag. “One by
one, we’ve just focused the media attention on you guys.”

“Why just us?”

Danny laughed. “We know you very well, John Paxton. We knew that
you would stop at nothing to bring this whole big, bad, evil government
down. You’ve been playing your part…very well.”

“Played my part?”

“That’s right. We’ve been playing you all like instruments. And,
we government types do enjoy a good symphony.”

While he rocked back and forth on the couch, Kaspar couldn’t take
it anymore. He couldn’t listen to Danny’s voice any longer. He couldn’t care
less about being used. Only thing was on his mind. Something had to be done
about it.

Right now.