Showdown, Chapter 4 by patricia51
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"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly."
Everyone stared at Carlos. K-Mart's jaw even dropped.
"What? I can't quote Shakespeare? Old Bill knew what he was talking about. We have an opportunity here. I agree with Stan. Umbrella is never going to leave us alone. So we need to stop waiting on them and strike first for a change."
"You're right," agreed Alice. She looked thoughtful. "I'm just always amazed at your depths honey. First I find you're a devote of musical theatre and now Shakespeare?"
"Discovering new things about your partner always helps keep the marriage fresh," Carlos returned. "But let's get back to the point."
Stan nodded. "This is an opportunity that won't come around again. These two helos can drop a combat team right in on Umbrella Headquarters. From what I've learned a small band wouldn't normally stand a chance of even getting in the front door. But the beauty of this is that we would be inside their defences before they even knew they were being attacked."
"We?" Alice lifted an eyebrow.
Stan nodded confirmation. "While I have a very strong feeling that you all are going I want in as well. Me and a few of the toughest, on-the-bounce Guard personnel I can grab in time." He looked around. "I know you think this is a personal matter and in spome ways it is. But Umbrella just attacked Alaska, attacked all of us when they attacked you. we need to hit back along with you to show them, Umbrella and everyone else, that you can't raid us and just walk away." He grinned. "Now maybe if you had something like twenty clones of Alice you could do it by yourself but obviously that's not possible."
Alice smiled and acknowledged Stan's compliment. "How long will it take you to get these people?"
"If I call now, by the time you are ready to go they'll be here."
"How many?" asked Chris.
"Assuming the six of you I would say six more. After all, Umbrella is going to expect that they took casualties in the attack so it's a reasonable number."
Carlos looked over the assembled group, receiving nods from the others. "Do it Stan. Please."
The moment the Guard officer was out the door the explosion that Carlos and Alice and Chris and Jill had been waiting for happened.
"What do you mean the six of you?" burst out Angie.
"You are NOT going without us!" declared K-Mart at the same time.
"Yes we are baby," Carlos said in his best I-WILL-be-obeyed father's voice. He immediately softened it as he stepped to his daughter and put an arm around her, "I know how you feel but think it over. Obviously we can't take the babies with us so you are going to have to stay here and protect them,"
"And she's going to need your help sweetheart," Jill told her own beloved teenager.
It wasn't settled that easily. Arguements were put forward, mostly centered around Angie's telepathic powers and her connection with K-Mart. They were refutted calmly, the adults pointing out that was one of the main reasons the two teenaged girls were the ideal guardians for the infants. Tears were met with even stouter resistance although Alice had to brace up Carlos who had a tendancy to cave in when faced by their daughter's puppy dog eyes and quivering lower lip. Finally the teens gave in.
"Alright," Angie proclaimed, "but WE will decide how to best protect the twins. No micro-managing from half way around the world.
Jill and Chris sucessfully smothered smiles, instead pasting serious expressions on their faces.
"You're absolutely right," Chris soothed his daughter and then thoughfully adding "We have complete faith in you two to react properly to an crisis."
Recalling how the pair of teen girls had saved the day, albiet by disobeying specific instructions to stay put, in the cave complex on the California coast the group nodded in agreement. They were inventive, smart and street savvy far beyond their years.
It was within an hour of his departure that Stan returned. By then the sextet's friends and neightbors had helped them assemble twelve sets of Umbrella uniforms complete to the face concealing helmets that the group hoped would hide their identities up to the moment they launched their attack. Sam and Claire carefully preflighted the VTOLs. Fortunately the always anal retentive Umbrella corporation had made sure the crafts were stocked with both complete pilot and mechanic manuals which the two married pilots studied intently. They brought them along to the final meeting,
Stan introduced the five individuals he had brought back with him. The three men and two women all looked extremely capable. One of the women, Chris Street, was a former LAPD SWAT officer who had escaped to Alaska with her two children and lived here in the village. The other, Jennie Gartman, had come even farther, being a US Border Patrol agent who had made her way all the way here from Texas.
"When things fell completely apart I thought about trying for an island off the Georgia coast," Jennie told the group, unaware that Jill and Angie had once tried to reach that refuge themselves. "But not only did I figure it would be near impossible to cross the Mississippi River but I would have had to go too close to too many populated centers. The road up here was a lot longer but I was able to plan it to pretty much stay out in the wilderness."
Of the three guys two of them, Mike and William were ex US Army Rangers while Trent had been a RCMP sergeant before the collapse. All had found Umbrella uniforms to somewhat fit them although they elected to carry their own weapons, mostly M-4's with Glock sidearms although Chris stuck with her MP-5 from her LAPD days and a Kimber Custom TLE II 45. However the four Umbrella light machines guns were loaded two to a helo for possible use in the upcoming assault."
There was one unexpected holdup, which was Chris's two children. Eliza was a teenager while Jimmie was approaching three. However that was solved when K-Mart pipped up.
"They can stay with us. Jimmie's cute and I've always wanted to get to know Eliza."
"And Sally and Marian," Angie added immediately, referring to the two teens that Sam and Claire had found during the trek back from LA and adopted upon theiure return and and marriage.
"In fact," said Chris thoughtfully, "why don't you all stay over at our house? Move there now before daylight so if those pendajos are watching via satelitte they won't see you."
"That sounds like a plan," approved Alice.
"Speaking of plans," put in Stan, "with the material we have recovered from the helos and the bodies we have a better idea of what to expect at Umbrella Headquarters but that still isn't much. We know where the concealed landing site is and how to open the doors but not much more than that. So we'll mostly be making this up as we go along. We'll have to share any information we come across immediately but overall improvisation is the key."
Mikey had hastily modified the Umbrella helmets, adding a second channel to the built in radios which would allow for fairly secure communication between the team members while also allowing them to answer any transmissions from Umbrella.
"Speaking of keys, the ultimate objective is Chairman Wesker. But since we have no idea as to the defences there we may be running into a dozen guards or hundreds. Remember, we want to hurt Umbrella, teach them they are not immune to payback. It would be great to destroy the headquarters butr let's not lose sight of the main objective, which is getting everyone home alive," warned Carlos.
Bill Henderson had seen to the refueling of the helos and had them inspected by the two local mechanics. Although aircraft was neither's specialty both were extremely able; like most of the survivors they were capable of turning their hands to pretty much anything. Sam and Claire primarily were trained as chopper pilots but of course had started flying in fixed wing aircraft. Carefully they fired up the second VTOL, lifted off and transitioned to level flight. They circled the town and landed, repeating it several times while taking turns piloting the craft.
"We can fly it," Sam said confidently. "The hardest part is switching from vertical to horizonal and back again of course but you just have to pay attention."
The group stood quietly for a moment. "Well," Carlos said quietly, "I guess we better get on the aircraft and go."
Mikey, after searching old airline routes, with had provided a flight plan that would take them to Japan with plenty of fuel to spare. The sophisicated equipment in the VTOL's meant they would be able to follow the route almost mile by mile the entire way with only minimal guidance. Stan had quietly cleared the flight with the Guard radars that watched the state's borders since they didn't plan to fly nap-of-the-earth as the attackers had.
Stan, Alice and Carlos decided to ride with Sam to continue planning as best as they could. Chris and Jennie would be with them. Mike, William and Trent joined Chris and Jill in Claire's aircraft. Only one thing was left to do.
Carlos and Alice wrapped their older daughter up in their combined arms and held her tightly.
"Take care of your brother and sister baby girl," Carlos said. "I love you."
"I love you too Daddy."
Carlos kissed the twins and climbed into the aircraft without looking back. Jill and Chris parted from Angie amid a flurry of hugs and kisses as Chris, now by mutual agreement going by her full name Christina to avoid confusion, did the same with her daughter and son. That left only Alice and K-Mart.
"Be careful Momma. Come back home."
"I promise sweetheart. And I always keep my promises."
"I know. I love you."
"I love you too."
Minutes latter the two black aircraft lifted off and headed to the West. On the ground a small knot of teen girls holding their siblings watched until the VTOL's faded from sight.
"Well, we better get busy," K-Mart said, firmly refusing to cry. The other girls nodded. By mutual, if unspoken, agreement they walked to the Abernathy-Olivera house first to get what K-Mart and the twins would need for a few days at Eliza's. Then they would swing by Angie's home.
"Don't forget your shotgun," advised Angie.
"You bet. If Umbrella comes calling I plan to be ready."
(To be continued)