Chapter 11
On the Run
Jasper was rather surprised that Larry answered his phone call at all. "Hello, Larry. I wanted to ask you something?"
"Go ahead and ask me anything. It doesn't mean I'll give you an answer or tell the truth, but you can ask," he said.
"You do realize that your son has escaped custody and is now on the run with two strange men." Jasper waited for a few moments. "I will take your silence as a yes. So my next question is, who are they?"
"Do you really expect me to dignify that with an answer? No, I won't tell you who they are," Larry said angrily.
"You do realize what you are doing is an act of treason, don't you?" asked Jasper.
"I am aware of that and I no longer care if it's treason or not. You are making me choose my son over my loyalty to you. Well, my son will win that contest every time."
"Just to let you know, I will find you and you will be publicly executed for this," said Jasper. "I will not have mercy on you or those men, and I now know where you are."
Larry could just imagine Jasper's gloating smile and it angered him. "Not for long, Jasper. Goodbye." After ending the phone call, he rolled down the window and threw the cell phone out the window. "We have to get off this road and fast. Jasper was tracing my cell phone."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," said Lewis. He was already leaning forward to adjust the G.P.S. "According to the G.P.S. we need to make the next right. It's a small road, but it will take us off the main highway."
He closed his eyes and started praying, "Lord Jesus, please help us get where we need to go without any problems. We cannot do this on our own with Jasper after us, A-Men."
They were in Missouri and about twenty miles outside Farmington by the time that Jasper's men caught up with them. Most of Missouri was neutral now; but Farmington was not. It was a military base for Grissom's government and at the time, Lewis did not know that.
"We're almost there now," announced Sam, as he pointed out the sign they were passing.
"You had better start praying," Johnson said, "because we've got company."
That is when they heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights. There were about ten regular police cars, three black SUVs, and one helicopter and they were right on their heels. "I think we're in trouble," said Carl.
The back window shattered spraying Sam with glass. "There's no thinking we're in trouble. We're in trouble!"
Carl crawled over the back seat to the cargo area and opened a wooden box that had three M16 rifles, tossing one to Sam and another one to Lewis, before taking the last one for himself. He looked at the smaller box that had the extra magazines for the M16s'.
Carl pointed his rifle out the broken window, and started firing at the engine of the first police car. He continued firing until the driver lost control of the vehicle. With the disabled squad car out of the chase, Carl then turned his attention to another. "Got one," Carl yelled as he sighted at the next.
The celebration was short lived for the next shot caught Sam in his right shoulder, causing him to drop his rifle. He fell toward the window, only to be hit once more in his leg. Lewis grabbed his friend pulling him to the floor of the vehicle. Then he took off his jacket and placed it on Sam's wounded shoulder to stop the bleeding. Carl stopped to help his friend. "I've got this. We can't afford to get side tracked," yelled Lewis. "Mrs. Watson, I need your help."
Mrs. Watson got up from the front seat to help. "What do you need me to do?"
"Take my belt, wrap it around his leg, just above where he's bleeding. Then pull it as tight as you can." Then pulling his pocketknife out and handing it to her, he pointed to a specific spot on the belt, and then said, "Make a hole right there. It'll slow the bleeding." When she'd done as he had instructed, he added, "Now, place both hands right here and hold tight."
Lewis grabbed the rifle and went back to firing at the vehicles behind them. He knew he could kill any one of those drivers behind them, but he chose not to kill them. Therefore, he aimed for the tires. Blowing them would stop some of the pursuers.
"How's Sam doing," asked Carl and glancing back for a moment.
"He's sweating and shaking, badly," she said.
Lewis turned quickly around. "Sam, stay awake. Talk to me, okay Buddy."
"Man, I am so cold," Sam said.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's going into shock, Carl!"
"Yeah," said Carl.
"I need your jacket, now! Sam's in shock!"
Carl pulled his off jacket as fast as he could, which wasn't easy with the SUV swerving back and forth. Right at that moment Larry was in a push and shove match with another SUV. They didn't have much chance of making their destination. Larry tried to keep vehicle under control, but the other driver was much better than he was and the other guy knew it. The next hit sent the Saturn Vue that Larry was driving off the road and into a ditch. Somehow, the SUV remained upright and did not roll over.
"Is everyone all right," asked Larry when he brought the automotive to a halt.
"I guess we're all right. Except Sam, Dad, he's in really bad shape." Lewis was worried about his friend, who'd passed out. "What are we going to do?"
Slowly Larry got up to check on the young man who was injured. Sam's pulse was racing and he was cold and clammy to the touch. He was in shock and still loosing blood. He glanced out of the window and saw the cars and the guns aimed at them. "There's nothing we can do. We're out numbered and out gunned."
They all knew what he was thinking. Sam needed help or he would die. Looking at each other then at their injured friend, they agreed silently to surrender.
Jasper stood on the hill with his secret service personnel, as well as the marshal service and the police. He could not have been happier. He had the traitors rounded up. He'd won this round without any major problems. Anthony gloated as he yelled to the men in the truck. "All right, Johnson, it's over. Get out of the truck. Surrender now, and I won't have you gunned down."
He stood quietly hoping that the man would have enough sense not to fight. Johnson was beaten and desperate and desperate people didn't think clearly. "Last chance, Larry, come out, now!"
To his surprise, the driver's door opened slowly, and Larry stepped out with both hands raised. "You win, Anthony. We surrender, however, we do have an injured person that needs medical help immediately or he'll die."
"All of you out, now. Then I'll send someone in to get him." He didn't really care if that person died. "I'll make sure he gets the medical attention he needs. You have my word."
To Johnson that didn't mean much, but it was the best they were likely to get. He kept his hands above his head walked toward the authorities. Carl, Lewis, and Mrs. Watson were right behind him. All four of them lay down on the ground and were soon handcuffed and searched, while the police pulled Sam out of the truck.
Jasper smiled once more before climbing into helicopter. "I'll see you soon Johnson, at your trial." He was smiling until he had to duck due to a gunshot that nearly hit him. Looking at his pilot said, "What was that?"
"Look over there, sir," the man said pointing at the road ahead. There were lights flashing and sirens blaring, and a host of vehicles were racing their way.
"Get me out of here!" Jasper screamed at his pilot. The pilot lifted off as fast as he could, while Grissom's men fired their weapons at him. Jasper was furious about losing Johnson this way; Johnson could really hurt him and the government with everything he knew. He watched as his people surrounded, they were dropping their weapons left and right. This was the worst defeat he had suffered in four years since the war ended. He had to come up with a plan to defeat Grissom, but that would be at another time and another place. For now, he would leave for those who ran away today, would live to fight another day.
Larry laid there unsure of what was happening. For a moment, he thought that Jasper had ordered those men to kill them right where they were. But when then he heard the chopper take off and leave, and the gunfire continued, he realized that help had arrived to save them. So he and the others stayed still and hoped they wouldn't be hit in this round of fighting. The voice he heard next was the General Mike Damon, his brother-in-law and at one-time best friend. "Larry, are you laying down on the job again?" Larry looked up to see Mike grinning form ear to ear.
"Yeah, you know me, I always let someone else do the dirty work, and then I step in and take the credit." Even after all the years that they'd been apart, they could still kid around and joke.
Speaking to Jasper's men, Mike said, "You engaged military personnel in Grissom's territory. You are under arrest." Damon smiled and laughed quietly. "Are you all right, Lewis?"
Lewis looked up, "I'm fine, but Sam's hurt and in shock." He was very concerned about his friend. He got up to let the MPs remove the cuffs. Once his hands were free, he walked over to Sam to check on him. His pulse was still racing, and he was in pain, groaning lowly. "Take it easy, Sam. You're hurt pretty bad, stay still," Lewis said softly.
"Med Flight is on their way, Lewis. Check on your dad and Carl; they're going to need you. I'll make sure Sam is taken care of properly."
Carl was not shocked to find out that they were being arrested. That he, Larry, and his mom, were all going to jail. It did not bother him. These people didn't know him as anything other than the enemy. He sat in the back of one of the SUVs, separated from Larry and his mom. He watched as Lewis got in the vehicle with Larry, after everything that had happened; he was glad the Lewis was still his best friend. Lewis would do everything he could to help him get out of prison.
Carl leaned back, closed his eyes, and prayed. "Lord Jesus, I thank you for bringing us here as safely as you have. I lift Sam up to you, please put your healing had on him, and raise him up.
"Lord, I am sorry for all my sins and ask you to forgive me of all of them. I ask if there is anyway to get me out of this mess that I have gotten myself into, please help me. I can't do this by myself. Lord I surrender to you, my life, is yours to do with as you see fit. As of this moment, I put my complete trust in you. I thank you for everything Lord Jesus, A-Men." He then understood why it was called being saved; for the first time in his life, he felt the peace that surpassed all understanding. All the stress, all the negative feeling, and every doubt gone; no matter what happened now, his trust was in the Lord.