The Crimson Demons HQ

The lab

Night time

Donny "Frags" Williams has been a striker for the Crimson Demons for years. He handled security. Hits.

He had an important job. He had to watch over the lab. It was one of their larger operations on the East Coast. And they had to get it together in record time. They had a major connection for a designer drug that some big shit ex-chemist had created: Cortex. A few months ago, that lab was wiped out. Big time federal bust. Holloway, the chemistry geek that came up with Cortex, got charged with some fuckin' terrorist bullshit.

So, in the past couple of months, they built this facility. "Butcher" Hicks, leader of this chapter of the Demons, was so proud, he invited brothers from other chapters to check it out.

It was up to Frags to watch over it. Along with his best soldiers. Hardcore, battled tested motherfuckers.

Hicks was a genius. Frags always knew it. Hicks knew that the best way to control the cops and feds wasn't with threats or guns. Sure, they killed a couple of undercover pigs, but that wasn't it.

Bribes did the job, but not only bribes. That was enough for the local cops and even the fuckin' state cops.

Blackmail was the main shit.

Butcher had ugly shit on a bunch of feds, prosecutors, judges and the Governors...Hookers, drugs, bribes, some gay shit, even one judge that was a kiddie fucker. A fuckin' fire and brimstone type too. Those were always the worst.

Also, like most crooks, you needed some legit businesses. Bars, stores, shit like that.

And that was how you could have a huge fuckin' bunker with Crimson Demon flags wavin' and not be bothered by the Law. Killing motherfuckers and terrorizing the mindless zombies calling themselves "honest citizens" out there wasn't enough.

Honest my ass, Frags thought.

Every motherfucker out there is lookin' to cheat. Cheat on their taxes, cheat on their wives, downloading illegal movies and music and shit. Fuckin' suit and tie bankers robbing the shit out the zombies for millions. Almost took this country under.

But, hard times were good for business. People need to get high and get laid when shit got rough. Gambling too. And for the Demons, business was always good. As long as people need the finer, but illegal, pleasures in life, Demons were always gonna make money.

There wasn't much that could stop them. Some asshole tried earlier, though. He jumped some of the guys trying to a collect from that Dana bitch. They were supposed to settle that. They still haven't called in yet. Probably takin' their time, making it ugly.

Sending a message to all of the other assholes out there who wanna fuck the Demons.

Frags was lost in his thoughts, looking at his men, watching over the chemists working on Meth, Ecstasy and all sorts of other goodies. He was focused. Maybe that was why he didn't quite register one of the side windows breaking right away. It took a second. He thought it was one of the chemists who dropped something.

That wasn't it.

Something zoomed very fast past him and left a trail of smoke.

He had one other second to realize what it was. One to say: "Fuck me."

And all Hell was unleashed.

300 yards away

Jack Reacher was holding the empty Stinger missile launcher tube. Castle was next to him with the laser targeting device. He switched to binoculars after the projectile was launched.

From their position, they saw the building go up in a huge fireball. Followed by several secondary blasts. The roof came up. The walls held, though. Fire and debris came out of all of the side windows. From their position, the felt the ground rumble somewhat. It was a drug lab. It was probably filled with flammables.

"Nice shot, Major," Castle said.

"Nice aiming, Captain," Reacher said.

"The bunker itself is still standing," Castle said.

"They probably built that thing to resist a siege if cops ever came at them," Reacher said, "They were prepared for everything."

"They weren't prepared for us," Castle said.

Reacher was feeling...Not good, he never took pleasure in killing. There was a cold satisfaction knowing that those men who crushed others for their own gain were waking up, startled, scared even.

"You ready for some real work, Major?" Castle asked.

"I'm ready all right, Captain. That's for damn sure."

They climbed into the van. Reacher got behind the wheel. He wasn't the better driver. He didn't like driving. He wasn't particularly good at it. But he didn't need to be for what was planned.

The Crimson Demons Bunker

"Butcher" Hicks woke up when he heard what he thought was thunder. He believed that for a split second.

But it wasn't no fuckin' thunder. It was an explosion. It sounded like fucking Hiroshima. The walls shook. Shit fell to the ground. Hicks was almost knocked off his bed.

Someone opened his bedroom door. Roadkill Roberts, one of his main guys.

"Jesus Christ, Butcher, the lab went up!"

"What!"

"Somebody took out-"

Another blast shook the ground.

"Someone nuked the fuckin' lab, Butcher!"

Denial was a powerful thing. Butcher couldn't accept what he was hearing. It made no fucking sense. The lab got nuked? What the fuck? He turned on his flat screen TV. It was hooked to the security cameras.

And then he saw it.

"What the fuck..." Hicks said, "Who the fuck..."

Using a remote, Hicks flicked from one camera to another. He saw the cameras looking down at the front gate and he couldn't believe his eyes.

A van. One van, coming in full speed toward the gate.

"We're...under attack?" Hicks said.

"Are those guys cops or some shit?" Road Kill said.

"I don't who the fuck they are, but they die. Get the brothers ready for war."

Hicks got his shit together. Got up. Got dressed. Put on a bullet proof vest. He grabbed his .357 mag Colt Python and put it in his belt. He grabbed an AK-47. He recovered from the initial shock. He was about do some righteous killing.

Then another blast rocked the compound.

Outside

Castle had explained to Reacher that this wasn't a regular van. It had been modified. Bullet proofed windshield and tires. Hyped up engine. Special slits in the doors, to set up guns. Reacher had Castle's M-4, with a 90 round drum mag, fitted with a 40 mm launcher, set up on the passenger seat with the sound suppressed barrel sticking out the door slit.

The sound suppressor wasn't for any stealth strategy. The Stinger ruined that. It was so Reacher wouldn't go deaf from firing a fully automatic weapon from inside the vehicle. He still wore earplugs and additional ear protection over them.

Castle was in the back. He had fired a LAW rocket from an opening in the van's roof at the Demons' front gate and knocked it right down. He had made larger sliding slits in the side panels. He was wearing earplugs and more ear protection as well.

He was holding an M-60, loaded with 200 armor piercing 7.62 mm rounds in a box magazine, from the left side of the van.

Several bikers were firing at the van. M-16s. Uzis. AK-47s. None of that even dented the van's armor.

Reacher fired short controlled bursts with his right hand. Driving with his left. The rifle was loaded with armor piercing rounds. It went through Kevlar vests and organs. He took out three that were on his right.

On the left, Reacher saw a Jeep with four bikers armed with sub machine guns and rifles coming in fast. All of them were firing. Reacher figured that bikers weren't always on bikes when it wasn't practical.

Castle's 7.62 rounds tore through into them. It was like someone had tossed them a bunch of chainsaws. The engine was perforated. Their chests were ripped open, their skulls were blown apart sending blood and chunks in the air.

Others on the left were running for cover. Castle caught them in the back. Three more went down face first that way.

Reacher ran two more bikers over with the van.

It was chaos. Blood. Screams. Fire. Smoke. The sound of bullets pounding the armored van.

This was a war. He kept hearing the bikers' words as they were talking about killing the girl. When they were going to kill him.

They're gonna hurt her. Bad. And for a long time. Then kill her.

Witnesses? We do them too, fuck it.

He saw another Jeep come on his right. Four bikers in it. He fired a 40 mm High Explosive at the coming vehicle. The explosion flipped the Jeep and it made several rollovers, crushing the men.

Castle smacked Reacher's shoulder. He pointed at the bunker. Reacher nodded. He turned the van around and back to the Big House. Reacher then stopped the van several yards from the front of the house. He reloaded the 40 mm grenade launcher and fired at the solid steel doors.

There was a loud explosion and a serious dent. But the doors weren't knocked down.

Castle didn't waste time. He signaled Reacher to put the van further away from the doors. Reacher did. Meanwhile, Castle came up with another LAW rocket. He fired at the doors. The explosion must have sounded like the end of the world inside of the house. The doors flew in. Whoever stood behind them would be crushed or killed by shrapnel.

Castle slung a USAS-12 Automatic shotgun on his back. He looked at Reacher and nodded. Reacher nodded back. The Punisher slid open the van door and went outside. Reacher slipped an MP-5 submachine gun from Heckler and Koch on his back. He also put on a ballistic mask. He was wearing body armor with a white skull painted on it. Both men went inside the House.

Seven dead bikers later, they found a biker Reacher recognized as Butcher Hicks, from Castle's files. Both were aiming their weapons at him. He was armed with an AK-47.

"Drop the guns, Hicks," Castle said.

Hicks looked at them both. Then his shoulders slumped. He was defeated. He dropped his rifle. Then his .357 magnum.

"Let's talk," Castle said.

"Talk about what?" Hicks said.

Castle looked at Reacher. Reacher looked back at the Punisher. Then, Reacher figured it out. Reacher said what they wanted to talk about. Hicks had a glimmer of hope. It took a minute and he gave them what they wanted. They verified what was given.

"So, guys," Hicks said, "Can we deal?"

Castle looked at Reacher. Reacher looked at Hicks and back at Castle.

"Let's just kill this motherfucker and get the fuck out of here," Reacher said.

"Sounds good," Castle said.

"Hey," Hicks said.

Reacher shot Hicks in the forehead with the M4. Hicks fell on his back with parts of his skull missing.

Reacher and Castle walked out of the house.