The Revolution Begins (Molon Labe) (8 page)

In the meantime, we ventured to two other hide sites
and eliminated two more officers, one at each site.  After the second officer was down, we started to notice an increased troop presence.  After each shot, large troop numbers (approximately fifty) arrived and began going house to house within five minutes of the shooting.  In each instance, we were able to pack up and be halfway across town before troops started fanning out to conduct searches.

We could only hope that our other four teams were doing as well as we were.  We could not risk communicating with our other teams and had issued strict orders that no attempts be made to communicate back to base.
We knew that the enemy had superior communications equipment and would likely track our signals and very well could be listening to the messages even if we used encrypted methods.  We had to assume the UN had the full technological advantage of the NSA, and until that was knocked out of the equation we would have to improvise.  Instead of reporting each kill, we would record our mission details and any Intel, and use the DMAGs to send quick burst reports at the end of the day. 

During the course of our week in
Queenwood, we would dispatch six officers and gain valuable intelligence about the new UN base in the area.  We spoke with the locals who had allowed us to use their homes and encouraged each to do their part in the resistance effort.  We stressed that “The American Dream” was being taken from us, and we all had a part to play if we valued a future for our children and grandchildren. I don’t know how much of it sunk in, but at least they all agreed whole heartedly.  Still, no one volunteered to join the militia.

Chapter 21

"The ruling class doesn't care about public safety. Having made it very difficult for States and localities to police themselves, having left ordinary citizens with no choice but to protect themselves as best they can, they now try to take our guns away. In fact they blame us and our guns for crime. This is so wrong that it cannot be an honest mistake."
Malcolm Wallop
former U.S. Sen. (R-WY)

We headed back to base anxious and hopeful that each of our teams would return safely with good stories and valuable Intel. On the outskirts of town we were picked up by Matthew, a local who had been a machinist.  He was allowed to leave town to pick up parts for repairs. We climbed into his panel van and began the several mile long trip back to our dismount point.  Matthew had pictures of his wife and two young boys, and was proud to show them to us like most parents are.  “These pictures represent all that I work and live for”, he said and smiled.

“
It’s the same reason we do what we do sir”, I told him. “We each have our own families and we just want them to have the freedoms we all deserve.”

He said
, “Thank you guys for what you do.  I wish I could be out there with you, but I was never military, and wouldn’t begin to know where to start.  I’m, just happy I can help you like this.  I wish I could do more.”

Just then we rounded a turn and were forced to slam on the brakes.  The UN had set up a random
vehicle checkpoint and we were too late to avoid it.  This was trouble for us.  Matthew had papers allowing him to travel. We did not.  The vehicle would be inspected and our weapons would be found.  This was going to get ugly very quickly.

“Good afternoon gentlemen”
, the soldier said with a German accent. ”I trust you have your papers. I will just need to see them and you can be on your way.” 

Neil was pressed against the back wall of the van, ready to fire with pistols in both hands.  I took the opportunity to silently draw my own pistol as Matthew handed the soldier his paperwork.  The soldier’s eyes narrowed as he noticed only one name on the paperwork.  He looked up and was about to speak when I shot him between the eyes with a silenced 22.

I pulled Matthew down across the seats as I jumped out the passenger side door.  I began firing at the soldiers on the right side as I took a knee. They had raised their weapons and started to aim and fire while I was standing.  The shots hit the door and van side above me.  I dropped both soldiers with multiple shots.  Neil had burst from the back door of the van and rolled to the ground firing at the remaining soldier on the driver’s side.   He hit him four times, taking him out.  Neil was slow to get up and I noticed he was bleeding from his right leg.  A quick look revealed he had been grazed by a bullet there. It was bleeding, but not bad.  Matthew was groaning in the front.  When I got there I could see why.  Blood had splattered and covered the dash. Matthew had been shot in the left shoulder at least once, maybe twice by the soldiers who fired at me.  His shoulder was a bloody pulp.  He was losing blood and needed help fast. It was against protocol, but we had to take him to the base, and we had to get him there soon. The van was pretty shot up and a quick turn of the key revealed that something important had taken a round. It wouldn’t even turn over. Our only option was to take what the bad guys had ridden in with.

What we found
were three new Honda four-wheelers.  They had likely been confiscated from the local dealership.  We had to chance that they had been unable to place GPS tracking on them.  We checked them quickly and loaded up with Matthew behind me (strapped to my back so he wouldn’t fall off).  Neil took all of ours and the fallen bad guys gear (again, we couldn’t afford to leave military gear that we might be able to use).  We left the bad guys in the ditch piled up in their skivvies, and pushed the van into the woods. We did our best to conceal it, but it would be found, and with that, Matthew’s family would be in trouble.

Chapter 22

"An armed man is a citizen. A disarmed man is a subject."
Anon.
 

We returned to base and dragged Matthew and our gear into the mines.
We still had a half mile of mine shaft to travel to get to the main complex, and as Matthew began to go in and out of consciousness, he started pleading with me to protect his family.  I promised him I would. It might have been a foolish promise, but it was one I intended to keep.  Matthew had taken bullets that were meant for me. I owed him.

Vincent was the first person we saw, and before he asked any questions he scooped Matthew up into a fireman
’s carry and began to clear the way for us to get to the hospital.  When that man started yelling “make a hole”, people just instinctively got the hell out of the way.  We got to the hospital and Vincent laid Matthew out on a gurney.  Then he started asking questions.

“Doc, Mac, w
e got a wounded soldier in here”, Vincent called out. Doc and Mac rushed in and started working on Matthew who had heard Vincent calling him a soldier and despite his pain, was smiling. I promised him again that I would take care of his family and Neil and I stepped back.

“What the hell happened?
” Vincent asked.  I relayed the story and just as I mentioned Neil’s wound, Allison ran into the room.  She took one look at Neil and pulled him over to a gurney.  She ordered him to take his pants off.

“Wow
!” I said, “We’ve only been gone for a week. Isn’t that a little overkill on the greeting?” Vincent and I laughed, but Allison gave me a look that I never want to see again.  I walked away sheepishly, Vincent following while muffling a chuckle.

“A
llison, I just got grazed”, Neil said. “A little soap and water and a band-aide, and I’ll be good as new.”

She raised her hand
to hush him, but instead he grabbed it softly and kissed it. “It’s ok”, he said “I’m fine.” 

Allison was fighting back tears and turned to walk away but Neil grabbed her and held her close.

Through soft sobs she said, “I was reading in my room when I heard we had soldiers with bullet wounds. I knew you were due to come back in today, and when I came in and saw you with blood all over your leg. It hit me hard that you could be hurt.”

Neil stroked her hair and kissed her
forehead softly.

“I know it’s stupid because we haven’t known each other for long, but it scared me.  I’ve been acting like a school girl and trying to hide it, bu
t I just lost it when I saw you”, she said.

I was
listening from around the corner smiling and shaking my head in disbelief.  Neil had only met her less than a month ago, but already she seemed ready to say she loved him.  Ready to say it or not, it was apparent to everyone else that they both felt it.

Neil just smiled at her, lifted her chin with his hand and looked her in the eye and said, “You can’t lose me. I’m not that easy to kill.”

She burst into laughter and wiped away her tears.  Back to business she stripped away his pants and dressed his “scratch” that actually required a few stitches. 

Chapter 23

"Our main agenda is to have all guns banned. We must use whatever means possible. It doesn't matter if you have to distort the facts or even lie. Our task of creating a socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally disarmed."
Sara Brady
Chairman, Handgun Control Inc, to Senator Howard Metzenbaum
The National Educator, January 1994, Page 3

I decided to walk away from the lovebirds and brief Captain John.  I found him in the mess hall and after a quick cup of coffee, we made our way to the briefing area. He was pleased to learn of our successes. The willingness of the locals to take us in to their homes was also a pleasant surprise.  Most of us had expected the locals to view us as a nuisance, and more likely to bring them trouble, than to help them.  He was particularly interested in the intelligence we were able to gather about the base.  Gerome had agreed to take a small digital camera onto the base and had taken some great shots that would be invaluable for planning any type of action.  What we feared most from the base was that it may be used to house suspected extremists and their families.  We would need more Intel for that.

I told the Captain about our trip back and the random checkpoint that we had “negotiated
.”  While he was happy with the outcome, he was less than thrilled with my promise to help Matthew’s family. “You can’t make promises like that Chris”, he said.  “You and I both know it would be stupid and almost suicidal to go back in there for a few days, for any reason.”

“I’m not p
lanning to wait a few days boss”, I said. “I have to get them out tonight.”

He looked at me like I had lost my mind.  Before he could object, I laid out my case.
“They
will
find his van.  We couldn’t destroy it well enough to hide who it belonged to. His family name and phone number is plastered on the side. He took a bullet that was aimed at me today.  I can’t let his family be taken.  I have to bring them back here, and I have to do it tonight.”

“This is crazy.
I know you owe this guy, but have you even given any thought to how dangerous this will be?” he asked.

I had been thinking about nothing else since I made my promise to Matthew, and I believ
ed I had a good plan.  I laid it out for Captain John.  To his credit he listened intently.

“…I guess I really just need a few guys crazy enough to go with me, and we should be in a
nd out without a lot of trouble”, I said as Captain John rubbed his chin, his face showing the creases of deep thought.

“Well,
WE
need two more guys to make this happen.”  I looked at him with a great deal of surprise. “That’s right, I’m going.  I need to see for myself what is going on in town, and this is as good an excuse as any to get in there.  Your plan has a few small areas that I want to tweak, but it should work out well enough. Let’s go recruiting”, he said.

We stopped first to check on Neil and Matthew.  Neil was busy chatting with Allison, and Matthew was sound asleep.  Doc Martin was reading Matthew’s chart.
“He’s lucky you got him here when you did.  He was running very low on blood. I removed all of the bullet fragments I could from his shoulder.  It looks like he took two bullets in that shoulder.  It’s cleaned and sewn up, but there is a lot of damage in there.  I hope he regains the full use of his arm, but I can’t promise anything.” 

“
I’ll get your family here buddy”, I promised again to Matthew, and turned to Neil and Allison. “Is he gonna make it doc?” I asked nodding at Neil. “I’d hate to have to break in a new partner.”

“I’m no doc
tor, but I think he’ll be fine if he can keep those stitches from pulling loose. I think I’ll keep a close watch on him for a while”, she said.

“
Well then, you’re gonna hate me for this”, I said.  She curled her nose and lowered her brow,

”I need to borrow him for a few hours tonight.
We gotta go back out there and get Matthew’s wife and kids out.”

N
eil already knew what I was thinking and I knew he was in before I ever had to ask.  “Tell me when we leave”, was all that he said. 

“You have got to be kidding me.  Isn
’t one brush with death enough for today?”  Allison asked, now clearly angry at both of us.

“It
’s ok Allison.  I’m the only one who knows as well as Chris, the layout of the town right now. Besides, Chris has a good plan and since we aren’t looking for a fight, we will be getting in, getting Matthew’s family, and getting out before the bad guys even know we are there.”  He smiled and looked at her with puppy eyes.