Part Thirty-Five
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1255 Local
Tink watched Preston disappear into the dining room from where he was leaning against the wall. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much longer. He wouldn't mind getting something to eat himself and he'd feel a lot better getting the Colonel back with Rabb and Singer. He still wasn't sure what he could do, but whatever he came up with would be easier if they were all together. He broke off his musing when Preston reappeared in the doorway and motioned him over.
He followed Preston into the dining room and stopped in shock. The Colonel was sprawled on the floor, her eyes closed. He looked with wide eyes at Trask who was sitting in a nearby chair, "Is she dead?"
The Reverend smiled reassuringly, "No, no, Tinker. She's just asleep." He gestured behind him and Tink noticed with a start that there were several men in dark suits on the far side of the room. "These gentlemen are going to make sure she's taken good care of. Would you be so kind as to carry the Colonel for them?"
He nodded dumbly. Oh god! He knew who these guys were. He shuffled forward and knelt down to gather the Colonel carefully in his arms. Standing up again, he looked at Trask. The Reverend motioned towards the men, "Follow them, Tinker." Tink nodded again and slowly walked across the room.
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1225 Local
AJ ended the phone call and looked at his ad hoc guerrilla force. "The Feds are about twenty-five minutes out. They'll be coming in the gravel road by the storage building and they'll be in military trucks. Hopefully, whoever sees them will assume they're another shipment. What we're going to do is clear a path through the patrols and get as close to the camp as possible without raising alarms." They had been carefully mapping patrol routes and times. The militia men hadn't deviated from their routine and from what they could observe, a number of the men didn't do much more than walk and chat with each other. There was a small percentage that actually took their job seriously. AJ was hoping to get them first. Remarkably, and Tyler had shadowed a patrol almost from start to finish, they didn't check in with anyone while they were out.
The part of the plan AJ didn't like was that the assault would come in from only one side. Unfortunately, they just didn't have the manpower to coordinate a pincer movement. That meant there was a good chance they'd miss half these guys. The random factor was going to be a lot higher than he'd like. Of course, his primary goal was to get his people back and in one piece. They'd just have to deal with the chaos. AJ sighed a little, he'd done his best to impress upon SA Ramos the necessity of keeping gunplay to a minimum. He wished he knew how good their fire discipline was. He gave himself a mental shake, time to get moving.
Chegwidden looked at Walters and nodded. Then he looked at Perez and Tyler, "Gentlemen, synchronize your watches." He gave them the countdown, "All right, radios working?" There were affirmative nods, AJ had decided the benefit of coordinating their moves outweighed the possibility of being overheard on the little handhelds. He smiled grimly, "Let's go get our people back." Perez and Tyler gave brief smiles in return and headed out. AJ looked at the Gunny and raised an eyebrow, "Shall we go see the Colonel?" Walters winced slightly and nodded. They headed out as well.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1300 Local
Harm checked his watch again as he paced. Singer watched him, "Sir, I'm sure everything's fine. They're just eating lunch. You know what a production Trask makes out of meals."
Harm ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, I know. I've just got the worse feeling about Mac being alone with that guy."
Singer looked at him, aghast, "You don't think he'd... "
He sighed, "No, I don't think he'd do anything like that. But the guy's crazy as a loon and that Preston is a goddamn sociopath. Mac's in no shape to defend herself."
"She's got Tink on her side, sir."
"I guess that's something, but he's unarmed. If she has any say in the matter, Mac won't let him sacrifice himself." Harm dropped onto the couch in frustration, "Dammit, how long does it take to eat lunch?" He slouched forward, staring at the floor and they lapsed into silence.
Several minutes later, Harm's head snapped up and he looked quickly at Singer. She was sitting tensely upright. "Did you hear that?" She nodded. "That's automatic weapon fire, the Feds are here!" He shot to his feet and headed for the door. He was almost there when it flew open and a wide-eyed Harper appeared, staring at him in surprise. Harm didn't hesitate, picked up speed and launched himself into the man even as Harper was bringing his weapon to bear. Harm hit him in the midsection, the momentum carried them across the hallway. Slamming into the far wall, Harm buried his shoulder in the man's solar plexus, throwing his weight into it. Harper's eyes bulged as he slid to the floor, his mouth working soundlessly. He barely registered Harm grabbing him by the shirtfront and hauling him up to smash a fist into his jaw. Harper collapsed in a heap and Harm quickly dragged him into the room.
Singer, who had followed Harm to the doorway, snatched up Harper's weapon while hurriedly checking up and down the hall. She glanced back to see the Commander trussing up the guard with the cord from the window blinds and then resumed her watch. A minute later, Harm appeared at her side. She looked at him, "We go to find the Colonel?" He nodded and Singer handed over the machine pistol. She always had a hard time controlling those types of weapons, she'd wait for a handgun. Outside, the sound of gunfire was spreading and growing. They hurried down the hallway to the dining area.
Stopping outside the door, Harm checked to make sure Singer was behind him. He put his finger to his lips and then held up three fingers. Singer nodded silently. On the count of three, Harm burst through the door, keeping low to the ground. The lone orderly who was clearing the table, dropped the dishes he was holding in surprise. In moments, Harm had closed the distance between them. He pinned the orderly to the wall with a forearm across his throat and the muzzle of the gun shoved into his ribs. "Where's Colonel MacKenzie?" he growled, an almost feral glint in his eye.
"Commander!" Singer called a warning. Harm spun with the orderly in front of him. A second orderly stood in the far doorway, looking shocked. They remained frozen, staring at each other and then the second orderly turned and bolted. With an oath, Harm took off after him, shoving the first man along in front. Singer followed, keeping an eye behind them. They paused for just a moment at the door and then Harm pushed through with the orderly screaming frantically, "Don't Shoot! Don't Shoot!"
There was a brief silence and then gunfire erupted. The orderly's body jerked spasmodically as the slugs hit. Harm returned fire in short bursts and then, just as suddenly it began, it ended. Cautiously, he let the orderly's body slip to the ground. Gesturing for Singer to keep low, he carefully moved forward into the kitchen area. There were two bodies behind the counters. The first had been hit in the chest, there was a hole the size of his fist all the way through. Swallowing, he moved to the next and stood for a second, perplexed. The second man had been hit in the back, although he had died facing the doorway. Harm looked back at the first body and realized that the man's hand must have tightened convulsively on the way down. He'd shot his own man as he died.
Harm reached down and pried the 9mm pistol from the second man's hand. Straightening, he tossed it to Singer. She looked at him and asked, "Now what?"
His hand tightening on the grip of the machine pistol, Harm said tersely, "Keep looking."
Singer was equally succinct, although the ramifications were potentially more devastating, "Where?"
Just Outside Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1250 Local
Tyler braced against a tree and tried to keep an eye on two places at once. The Federal agents had been arriving by twos and threes. Capt. Perez was dealing with them, while he kept an eye towards the camp and tried to watch the Feds, too. He'd gotten off on the wrong foot with them almost immediately. The first pair had wanted to blow his brains out, if Perez hadn't shown up, it would've gotten ugly. Then they'd turned condescending, convinced that the only reason he was still alive was because Perez was holding his hand. Consequently, he couldn't tell them anything. He was worried about Tink. These guys would take one look at the big man and start shooting, never mind finding out who he might be. Finally, he pushed off and went to find the Captain. He had an idea and he hoped Perez would be receptive.
Perez wished for a moment that his hair was little longer so he could get a better grip while tearing it out. What he wouldn't give for an equal number of Marines. He was having a hard time convincing the Asst. Special Agent in Charge that infantry tactics were called for. They had their own methods to deal with these situations and they weren't open to changes. And some of the Feds didn't like taking orders from a Jarhead, especially one that looked like a homeless wetback. His first problem had been keeping the first two Feds from shooting Tyler. They thought they'd turned the tables on a militia ambush. Then the jackasses had begun treating Tyler like he was twelve. He wondered how the Admiral was faring with his group. They were staging in two areas on the northeast side of the camp. Somehow, he didn't think the agents would be as apt to cross Chegwidden. He glanced over and saw Tyler approaching, looking rather determined. "What do you need, Pick?" he asked, ignoring the smirk on a nearby agent.
"Sir, I was wondering if you had a minute to listen to an idea I had." Tyler said quietly. Damn, Perez looked like he was ready to dismember someone.
They stepped to one side and the Captain listened intently. Tyler laid out his plans quickly and waited hopefully while Perez thought it over. Finally, he nodded, "Okay, Pick. You'd better hurry, though, we'll be moving soon. We can't delay." He watched Tyler lope off through the trees with a twinge of envy. He turned to find the ASAC standing near him.
The man nodded towards Tyler's retreating figure, "Probably a good idea to get the kid out of the way. It could get hairy during the assault."
That did it for Perez. Suddenly he was in the ASAC's face. "That OFFICER has already successfully infiltrated the militia camp twice," he flared. "He's done most of the reconnaissance that has made this operation possible. He's already saved my life once and there's no one I would rather have as my back-up!" Perez pivoted and stalked off. The assault couldn't start soon enough.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1300 Local
Tink followed the men out of the building, Trask and Preston trailed behind. His mind was racing, there was no way he could allow them to take the Colonel out of the camp. Once that happened, they'd never find her. If he didn't do this right, they'd both die. On the other hand, dying might be a viable option if there was no other way to keep them from taking her. What these bastards had planned would be worse than death for the Colonel.
They walked between several buildings until they came to a white cargo van. One of the men continued forward to open the doors in the back. The rest stopped and waited for Trask and Preston to catch up. Tink stopped as well. He looked down at the woman he was carrying. He was becoming increasingly worried about her. Mac's face was pale and he thought her breathing was becoming labored. He wished he knew what they had given her.
Reaching the group, Trask smiled at Tink and then turned to the apparent leader. "I believe it is time for my renumeration." The man gestured, and a fifth man got out of the passenger side of the van. He was carrying a briefcase. He walked over and Trask motioned for Preston to take it. The Reverend waited, smiling benignly, while Preston checked the contents. He raised an eyebrow and Preston nodded. Trask looked at Tink, "Take her to the van, Tinker." He turned his attention to the leader and began to chat.
Sweating, Tink made his way to the back of the van. This would be his best opportunity and it wasn't very good. He was just about to the van when a barrage of shots was heard. As all heads turned towards the sound, Tink made his move. Closing the distance to the man waiting by the van, he hauled back and kicked him hard in the ribs. Before the man had hit the ground, Tink was off and running. He headed for the buildings closest to the gunfire, trying to keep the van between himself and the others. He heard Trask yelling angrily and then the shooting began. Tink had just made the alley next to the first building when bullets splattered into the corner. He stumbled for a brief moment, it felt like someone had punched him in the back. He kept running.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1255 Local
Tink watched Preston disappear into the dining room from where he was leaning against the wall. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much longer. He wouldn't mind getting something to eat himself and he'd feel a lot better getting the Colonel back with Rabb and Singer. He still wasn't sure what he could do, but whatever he came up with would be easier if they were all together. He broke off his musing when Preston reappeared in the doorway and motioned him over.
He followed Preston into the dining room and stopped in shock. The Colonel was sprawled on the floor, her eyes closed. He looked with wide eyes at Trask who was sitting in a nearby chair, "Is she dead?"
The Reverend smiled reassuringly, "No, no, Tinker. She's just asleep." He gestured behind him and Tink noticed with a start that there were several men in dark suits on the far side of the room. "These gentlemen are going to make sure she's taken good care of. Would you be so kind as to carry the Colonel for them?"
He nodded dumbly. Oh god! He knew who these guys were. He shuffled forward and knelt down to gather the Colonel carefully in his arms. Standing up again, he looked at Trask. The Reverend motioned towards the men, "Follow them, Tinker." Tink nodded again and slowly walked across the room.
Vicinity of Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1225 Local
AJ ended the phone call and looked at his ad hoc guerrilla force. "The Feds are about twenty-five minutes out. They'll be coming in the gravel road by the storage building and they'll be in military trucks. Hopefully, whoever sees them will assume they're another shipment. What we're going to do is clear a path through the patrols and get as close to the camp as possible without raising alarms." They had been carefully mapping patrol routes and times. The militia men hadn't deviated from their routine and from what they could observe, a number of the men didn't do much more than walk and chat with each other. There was a small percentage that actually took their job seriously. AJ was hoping to get them first. Remarkably, and Tyler had shadowed a patrol almost from start to finish, they didn't check in with anyone while they were out.
The part of the plan AJ didn't like was that the assault would come in from only one side. Unfortunately, they just didn't have the manpower to coordinate a pincer movement. That meant there was a good chance they'd miss half these guys. The random factor was going to be a lot higher than he'd like. Of course, his primary goal was to get his people back and in one piece. They'd just have to deal with the chaos. AJ sighed a little, he'd done his best to impress upon SA Ramos the necessity of keeping gunplay to a minimum. He wished he knew how good their fire discipline was. He gave himself a mental shake, time to get moving.
Chegwidden looked at Walters and nodded. Then he looked at Perez and Tyler, "Gentlemen, synchronize your watches." He gave them the countdown, "All right, radios working?" There were affirmative nods, AJ had decided the benefit of coordinating their moves outweighed the possibility of being overheard on the little handhelds. He smiled grimly, "Let's go get our people back." Perez and Tyler gave brief smiles in return and headed out. AJ looked at the Gunny and raised an eyebrow, "Shall we go see the Colonel?" Walters winced slightly and nodded. They headed out as well.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1300 Local
Harm checked his watch again as he paced. Singer watched him, "Sir, I'm sure everything's fine. They're just eating lunch. You know what a production Trask makes out of meals."
Harm ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, I know. I've just got the worse feeling about Mac being alone with that guy."
Singer looked at him, aghast, "You don't think he'd... "
He sighed, "No, I don't think he'd do anything like that. But the guy's crazy as a loon and that Preston is a goddamn sociopath. Mac's in no shape to defend herself."
"She's got Tink on her side, sir."
"I guess that's something, but he's unarmed. If she has any say in the matter, Mac won't let him sacrifice himself." Harm dropped onto the couch in frustration, "Dammit, how long does it take to eat lunch?" He slouched forward, staring at the floor and they lapsed into silence.
Several minutes later, Harm's head snapped up and he looked quickly at Singer. She was sitting tensely upright. "Did you hear that?" She nodded. "That's automatic weapon fire, the Feds are here!" He shot to his feet and headed for the door. He was almost there when it flew open and a wide-eyed Harper appeared, staring at him in surprise. Harm didn't hesitate, picked up speed and launched himself into the man even as Harper was bringing his weapon to bear. Harm hit him in the midsection, the momentum carried them across the hallway. Slamming into the far wall, Harm buried his shoulder in the man's solar plexus, throwing his weight into it. Harper's eyes bulged as he slid to the floor, his mouth working soundlessly. He barely registered Harm grabbing him by the shirtfront and hauling him up to smash a fist into his jaw. Harper collapsed in a heap and Harm quickly dragged him into the room.
Singer, who had followed Harm to the doorway, snatched up Harper's weapon while hurriedly checking up and down the hall. She glanced back to see the Commander trussing up the guard with the cord from the window blinds and then resumed her watch. A minute later, Harm appeared at her side. She looked at him, "We go to find the Colonel?" He nodded and Singer handed over the machine pistol. She always had a hard time controlling those types of weapons, she'd wait for a handgun. Outside, the sound of gunfire was spreading and growing. They hurried down the hallway to the dining area.
Stopping outside the door, Harm checked to make sure Singer was behind him. He put his finger to his lips and then held up three fingers. Singer nodded silently. On the count of three, Harm burst through the door, keeping low to the ground. The lone orderly who was clearing the table, dropped the dishes he was holding in surprise. In moments, Harm had closed the distance between them. He pinned the orderly to the wall with a forearm across his throat and the muzzle of the gun shoved into his ribs. "Where's Colonel MacKenzie?" he growled, an almost feral glint in his eye.
"Commander!" Singer called a warning. Harm spun with the orderly in front of him. A second orderly stood in the far doorway, looking shocked. They remained frozen, staring at each other and then the second orderly turned and bolted. With an oath, Harm took off after him, shoving the first man along in front. Singer followed, keeping an eye behind them. They paused for just a moment at the door and then Harm pushed through with the orderly screaming frantically, "Don't Shoot! Don't Shoot!"
There was a brief silence and then gunfire erupted. The orderly's body jerked spasmodically as the slugs hit. Harm returned fire in short bursts and then, just as suddenly it began, it ended. Cautiously, he let the orderly's body slip to the ground. Gesturing for Singer to keep low, he carefully moved forward into the kitchen area. There were two bodies behind the counters. The first had been hit in the chest, there was a hole the size of his fist all the way through. Swallowing, he moved to the next and stood for a second, perplexed. The second man had been hit in the back, although he had died facing the doorway. Harm looked back at the first body and realized that the man's hand must have tightened convulsively on the way down. He'd shot his own man as he died.
Harm reached down and pried the 9mm pistol from the second man's hand. Straightening, he tossed it to Singer. She looked at him and asked, "Now what?"
His hand tightening on the grip of the machine pistol, Harm said tersely, "Keep looking."
Singer was equally succinct, although the ramifications were potentially more devastating, "Where?"
Just Outside Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1250 Local
Tyler braced against a tree and tried to keep an eye on two places at once. The Federal agents had been arriving by twos and threes. Capt. Perez was dealing with them, while he kept an eye towards the camp and tried to watch the Feds, too. He'd gotten off on the wrong foot with them almost immediately. The first pair had wanted to blow his brains out, if Perez hadn't shown up, it would've gotten ugly. Then they'd turned condescending, convinced that the only reason he was still alive was because Perez was holding his hand. Consequently, he couldn't tell them anything. He was worried about Tink. These guys would take one look at the big man and start shooting, never mind finding out who he might be. Finally, he pushed off and went to find the Captain. He had an idea and he hoped Perez would be receptive.
Perez wished for a moment that his hair was little longer so he could get a better grip while tearing it out. What he wouldn't give for an equal number of Marines. He was having a hard time convincing the Asst. Special Agent in Charge that infantry tactics were called for. They had their own methods to deal with these situations and they weren't open to changes. And some of the Feds didn't like taking orders from a Jarhead, especially one that looked like a homeless wetback. His first problem had been keeping the first two Feds from shooting Tyler. They thought they'd turned the tables on a militia ambush. Then the jackasses had begun treating Tyler like he was twelve. He wondered how the Admiral was faring with his group. They were staging in two areas on the northeast side of the camp. Somehow, he didn't think the agents would be as apt to cross Chegwidden. He glanced over and saw Tyler approaching, looking rather determined. "What do you need, Pick?" he asked, ignoring the smirk on a nearby agent.
"Sir, I was wondering if you had a minute to listen to an idea I had." Tyler said quietly. Damn, Perez looked like he was ready to dismember someone.
They stepped to one side and the Captain listened intently. Tyler laid out his plans quickly and waited hopefully while Perez thought it over. Finally, he nodded, "Okay, Pick. You'd better hurry, though, we'll be moving soon. We can't delay." He watched Tyler lope off through the trees with a twinge of envy. He turned to find the ASAC standing near him.
The man nodded towards Tyler's retreating figure, "Probably a good idea to get the kid out of the way. It could get hairy during the assault."
That did it for Perez. Suddenly he was in the ASAC's face. "That OFFICER has already successfully infiltrated the militia camp twice," he flared. "He's done most of the reconnaissance that has made this operation possible. He's already saved my life once and there's no one I would rather have as my back-up!" Perez pivoted and stalked off. The assault couldn't start soon enough.
Militia Camp
Holly Springs Nat'l. Forest, MS
1300 Local
Tink followed the men out of the building, Trask and Preston trailed behind. His mind was racing, there was no way he could allow them to take the Colonel out of the camp. Once that happened, they'd never find her. If he didn't do this right, they'd both die. On the other hand, dying might be a viable option if there was no other way to keep them from taking her. What these bastards had planned would be worse than death for the Colonel.
They walked between several buildings until they came to a white cargo van. One of the men continued forward to open the doors in the back. The rest stopped and waited for Trask and Preston to catch up. Tink stopped as well. He looked down at the woman he was carrying. He was becoming increasingly worried about her. Mac's face was pale and he thought her breathing was becoming labored. He wished he knew what they had given her.
Reaching the group, Trask smiled at Tink and then turned to the apparent leader. "I believe it is time for my renumeration." The man gestured, and a fifth man got out of the passenger side of the van. He was carrying a briefcase. He walked over and Trask motioned for Preston to take it. The Reverend waited, smiling benignly, while Preston checked the contents. He raised an eyebrow and Preston nodded. Trask looked at Tink, "Take her to the van, Tinker." He turned his attention to the leader and began to chat.
Sweating, Tink made his way to the back of the van. This would be his best opportunity and it wasn't very good. He was just about to the van when a barrage of shots was heard. As all heads turned towards the sound, Tink made his move. Closing the distance to the man waiting by the van, he hauled back and kicked him hard in the ribs. Before the man had hit the ground, Tink was off and running. He headed for the buildings closest to the gunfire, trying to keep the van between himself and the others. He heard Trask yelling angrily and then the shooting began. Tink had just made the alley next to the first building when bullets splattered into the corner. He stumbled for a brief moment, it felt like someone had punched him in the back. He kept running.
