Lethal Strike Read online

  Ross couldn't help but smile.

  "Hey, that ain't ever the way I operated," protested Burns.

  "Not as much as the others, no, but don't say you didn't try to protect us from plenty of nasty things?"

  "Yeah, well life ain't always nice."

  "Ain't that the truth," replied Ross.

  "I'd rather people tell it to us straight. What's the point in preparing for a world that doesn't exist? So it's hard out there, then make us ready for that."

  "I don't think it was ever supposed to be this hard," Donny was sitting nearby with his brother and the rest of the football players.

  "But this is our life now, so we better suck it up."

  "Was she always this badass?" Donny asked.

  "Hell, no," replied Lee with a smile.

  "Sometimes the very worst situations can bring out the best in people," said Kim.

  Ross nodded in agreement.

  "Damn right. It took guts to go back into town knowing what you'd face there. Most people wouldn't have done it."

  "So what do we do now?"

  "With Whitely and his people gone, we're down on strength. We need numbers if we're gonna keep this up," Burns answered.

  "The people in those camps, they aren't soldiers waiting for us to free them so they can join the fight. They're ordinary folk," said Lee.

  "Yeah? You tell me one among them who wouldn't jump at the chance to fight back if we busted them out?" Ortiz asked.

  "Whitely and his bunch of asshats."

  "Fair one, kid. You got me there."

  "He's right, though. We can't expect everyone to fight for us."

  "But if some do, Sarge, that’ll be enough," said Ramos.

  "I sure hope so," replied Emma.

  "So what now? We hit the next camp?"

  "I'd like to say we keep training, Lee. You need it. We all do. But time is a luxury we don't have. But we do know where the next camp is. We've got people that have seen it with their own eyes, and the enemy has no idea we have that information."

  "So we hit it?"

  "Damn right we do, Emma."

  "How do you want to play this?" asked Burns.

  "This is too big an op for my people."

  "We're all with you, just as before."

  "You want to go through this again? A big operation with armed civilians?" Ramos was thinking about the last time they did that, and the terrible cost to them.

  "We don't have a choice. We can't go in quiet, so we go in hard. There aren't any civilians here anymore. All I see is soldiers."

  Ramos shot up and walked away.

  "What's up?"

  "Can I speak with you for a minute?"

  Ross followed him to the edge of the camp where they could talk in peace.

  "What is it? You've been uptight all morning?"

  "This, what you want to do. They aren't ready for it. Hell, we aren't even ready for it. But at least we stand a fighting chance."

  "We can't coddle them. Not in this. You've seen what we're facing."

  "Yeah, and that's what worries me. They're gonna get hurt. Likely some of them are gonna get killed."

  "This is war. Soldiers die."

  "But they aren't soldiers."

  "That's where you're wrong. A few weeks back you'd be right. They don't wear a uniform, and they serve no army, but neither do we. There ain't no chain of command, no US Army anymore. We're on our own here, and all that separates us from them is the experience we have. Well, they need that experience, and they need it fast. So they can either wait out here to die, never being ready for what is coming. Or they can come with us and learn to fight."

  "And when they die, you'll be okay with that?"

  "No, but that's not my choice to make. I didn't bring this war here. I didn't want it, and I certainly didn't ask for it. But I'm damn well gonna fight it, and so are they. They've got every bit as much right to want in on this operation as we do."

  "That doesn't make it a good idea."

  "Nope. We're all out of good ideas, because this situation is fucked up. It's fucked up beyond all belief. A few weeks ago we knew who the enemy were and where they were. Where we were free and safe, but all of that’s over. We're not fighting to win a war. We're fighting to survive. We are, and so are they."

  "So that's it? This is total war?"

  "What else do you want me to say?"

  Ramos sighed. Clearly, he had seen this coming, but didn't want to accept it.

  "If this really is how bad things are, then we’re fighting for the survival of the whole country. You think that's true?"

  "We can't be the only ones fighting this. But yes. I believe everything we do will contribute to this fight. Millions of men and women across the country will be fighting back. Many will already have perished, or be interned in camps like we saw. But others will be fighting. The more we can do here, the better it will be for everyone."

  "These people, though. Kids, average Joes. They've had a few weeks training. They needs months or years for an operation like this."

  "That didn't stop us last week."

  "And look what it cost us."

  "You can't blame them for Olsen. None of them failed in the job they were given. Frankly, it was a miracle we didn't lose more. Everyone put in all they had to give, and we made it out with a lot more souls than we arrived with. I'd call that a win."

  "So you're going to ask these people to fight, and to die if necessary?"

  "You don't have to," said another voice.

  Emma had followed them and been listening in. Ross sighed, but he had no time to say a word as she made her case.

  "Those of us here are here to fight, and to fight to the end. Win or lose. Way I see it, we either win or we die. Or live as prisoners to whatever screwed-up scheme they have going. I'm not gonna live in a cage, and nobody else over there is either."

  "I understand that, but I'm not sure you appreciate what you’re getting yourself into."

  "Bullshit. We aren't kids, not anymore. I've fought, and I've killed. We aren't the people we before all this. We’re fighting for this town, and for each other. You can fight with us, or not. But this is our fight, and you can't hide us away and pretend it isn't happening."

  Ramos looked to Ross to see there was no reasoning with any of them.

  "This is going to get ugly, you get that right?"

  "Isn't it already?"

  "No, it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better," replied Ross.

  "If it gets better," added Ramos.

  "I'm not going to live as their prisoner or some kind of slave. We are in this fight to the end."

  "And you think you speak for all of them?" Ramos asked.

  "Damn right I do. Some of them lived through the fight for the town. They saw their friends gunned down. The deputies, they were family to some of these people. So were some of those who fought back and paid for it with their lives. We aren't here because of some twisted sense of loyalty to anything or anyone. We're here for each other, for the people of Wood Point. I think you are, too. Some of them are willing to see you as one of us, so long as you accept we are not just cattle to be herded about, or kids to be looked after. We're soldiers now. Lead us. We’re here to fight."

  Ross looked to Ramos to see if he was onboard. He shrugged in response.

  "I'm not saying it's ideal or that I like it."

  "What is to like about any of this?" Emma asked.

  "That we aren't in a damn dust bowl."

  "Screw that. Send me back to Afghanistan. I'd take it over this crap any day," replied Ramos.

  "But you're with us?"

  "Emma, I swore to protect this country and its people. But it's also the citizens' duty to protect the land. If you will stand and fight, then I will fight with you."

  "Until the end?"

  "Until whatever end."

  Ross smiled in appreciation.

  "Then what are the orders, Boss?"

  He went to correct her, but he had no
idea how. There was no etiquette for this situation. She instantly saw how awkward he felt.

  "These people, they need leadership. We don't know what to call you, so tell us. You have all this training and all this experience, so teach us."

  "I'm not sure it really counts for anything anymore. This isn't the Army."

  "Then what is this?"

  "This is our army," replied Ramos.

  She was surprised to hear him be so positive.

  "The army of Wood Point?"

  "Why not?"

  "Yes, why the hell not? That’s what we need right now, isn't it?"

  "These people need our help. And we need theirs. If we're going to be an army, we need soldiers. We can train you, but we are too few. So tomorrow we hit another camp and set more people free," replied Ross.

  "Not all of them will want to join us, Sarge."

  "No, and we won't force them to. If they want to go it alone, that's their choice. It's our right to be foolish what we choose, and I won't take that away from anyone. We go and do as we please in this life. That is what this enemy is trying to take away from us. I won't have those prisoners trade one cell for another. We set these people free, and we let them decide what they do with that freedom."

  "And if their decisions cost them their lives?"

  "That would be very sad, and we'll make it clear in no uncertain terms that is probably the case. But, Emma, they still must decide for themselves. I won't have an army of conscripts or of slaves. This is an army of free men and women, fighting for what they believe, and that is why we are strong."

  "So what now?" Ramos asked.

  "I want eyes on the target. Burns, you and Donny can head out to survey the area. The rest of us, we train and we prepare. We hit them at first light, same as before. I want you back here by 0100 hours so you can get enough rest to be fresh for the op, you hear me?"

  "Sure," replied Ramos.

  "Get moving. You'll need all the time you can get."

  "You sure we are ready for this?"

  "As ready as we're ever gonna be. We act now, or we won't get many more chances."

  Ramos left without another word.

  "What do you want me to do?" Emma asked.

  "Get Major Kelly. She saw this site. I want as detailed a map planned out as we can get. Any info Ramos brings back can add to it, but we need a base line to work from."

  "On it, Boss."

  Ross took a deep breath, realising what he was getting them into. The attack on the last compound seemed like their only choice, but now it felt like they had a lot more to lose than ever before. The loss of Olsen still weighed heavily on him and made him wonder who would be next. It was something he couldn't stop thinking about, and yet all eyes were on him now. They wanted him to lead them; it was the last thing he wanted.

  "Do what you do best Master Sergeant Ross. They need you right now. We all need you," said Emma.

  They went on to train for hours on end. It was never enough. It could never be enough, but it might just keep them alive. As the sun was finally low in the sky, they stopped, and Ross sat down for their last meal of the day. He was sad to see it was not Burns serving it up. The former Marine was an anchor for them all, a steadfast warrior and keeper to them all. He was not that much any older than Ross, and yet he had been through at least as much.

  It wasn't long before the sun was going down. Ross welcomed a night's sleep, but he was first on watch. That was a good thing, as he wouldn't get much sleep this night. A hundred thoughts were circling around his head. He was risking everything, and yet it seemed like the same risk to do nothing. A wooden ladder led up to a fixed position in a tree they had built as a watchtower. It was surprisingly tranquil up there, and he laid his rifle down beside and looked out across the camp for as far as he could see. He used his eyes, for their night vision equipment was charging for the operation.

  He heard footsteps approaching and the rustle of the ladder as someone came up to join him. It didn't give him cause for concern, though. He knew who was coming. Lee climbed into the position moments later and laid his weapon down.

  "Master Sergeant," he said as a greeting.

  "You needn't call me that."

  "Yeah? Then what?"

  "My friends, they call me Ross."

  "And you think that's where we're at now?"

  "We've fought together and survived together. I think that qualifies, don't you?"

  Lee smiled. It was clearly a level of acceptance he had never expected.

  "You said you were thinking of joining the Army, didn't you?"

  "That's right."

  "Yeah, well surprise, the Army found you."

  "Is that what we are now?"

  "I mean, yeah. You didn't exactly go through the regular means, but life is different now. Maybe a few hundred years ago a man like me could come through town and sign you up, and that would be it. Back then they at least had some communication and organisation. We don't even have that. We're on our own here, and we're fighting for this patch of land. What we have here is an army, no matter how small."

  "And Donny, my brother. You think he survived all that for a reason? He's told me about what happened. He has to have survived for a reason, right?"

  "If you're asking if it's fate, then no. I don't think it is. Donny has balls of solid steel, and when his time came, he fought like a lion to live."

  "And the others didn't?"

  "Sometimes a lion can fall, but that raw power to win and to survive, it goes a long way. Your brother is a survivor. I'm not saying he isn't lucky. Those shots that killed his teammates, they could have struck him. But there's more to it than that, and probably more to what happened than we'll ever know. All I know is his first encounter with the enemy was a whole lot worse than mine. A hundred times worse. I threw up after my first time. Donny kept on, and through diversity, he survived and kept Pope alive, too. He's special, and that’s what we need."

  "Why?"

  "Because nothing ordinary is gonna see us through. Whatever we’re facing here, it’s like nothing any of us have ever seen. Like nothing any of us could have imagined. But Donny kept on going, and he kept on fighting. He is everything we must be. He’s an inspiration to us all."

  "He always was," replied Lee with a smile.

  Chapter 4

  “The Whitelys were fools to leave all this.”

  Donny was walking beside Ramos and Burns. They’d been on foot for some time, unable to risk using any vehicles too much in the night. They weren’t far from the camp, and he couldn’t wait to get his head down. At least get a few hours in before they went out on the op.

  “We can do without assholes like that. They’re more likely to get you killed than do any good,” replied Ramos.

  “If we said that about every asshole, we’d have few allies left,” replied Burns.

  Ramos smirked, clearly not convinced.

  “Trust me, there are good people out here.”

  “And if Whitely gets captured and gives up our location?”

  “Then we’ll deal with that if and when the time comes. We can’t stop anyone going if they choose, Donny. We’re still free, for now,” replied Burns.

  “It doesn’t help us when the shit comes our way though, does it?”

  Burns sighed. He didn’t know how else to explain it.

  “Come on, I think we could all do with a few hours’ kip,” he said wearily.

  But before they could take another step there was a crack and roar of engines. Something flashed overhead. An even louder burn of engines followed it as whatever it was slowed down to a halt.

  “What the fuck is that?”

  “They’ve found us. Donny, that’s the camp!” Burns yelled.

  Flashes of light erupted from the sky as pulses of energy crashed into the ground up ahead, causing huge explosions to erupt among the trees. It was a terrible and dazzling sight. Ramos lifted his rifle and ran forward towards the horrific devastation. The other two were still stunned by
what they were seeing as they heard another two craft soar overhead. But the sight of Ramos rushing towards the camp spurred them on, and they followed him. Donny was shaking with fear, barely able to put one foot in front of the other. He’d been through enough of this for a lifetime. It was making him regret ever signing up for the Army. Yet as he looked to Burns, who wore no uniform at all, he was glad the Army had trained him for this moment, as the Corps had for Burns.

  Explosions erupted all around as they reached the edge of the camp. Gunfire rang out as those on the ground returned fire. They could see the silhouettes of enemy troops descending from a hovering aircraft. They were dropped through the forest canopy with no chutes or anything.

  "What the hell?" Burns asked as the three of them came to a halt, surveying everything they could see. Donny had no jump training of any kind, but he'd seen enough to know that was crazy, "That has to be a thirty-metre descent?"

  "We'll worry about that after we make it out of this."

  "If we make it out," Donny gasped.

  A rustling behind them made them quickly turn. Three enemy soldiers pushed through some dense undergrowth towards them. Ramos was the first to open fire, knocking down the first before they even realised they were there. They clearly had no idea the three of them would be there on the outskirts of the camp. They certainly did now.

  Donny went to fire when more burst through the undergrowth. Ramos hauled him back into the cover of a broad tree. Burns returned fire, but was forced to hunker down as a burst struck the tree he was using for cover.

  "We don't have time for this. They need us!"

  "Way ahead of you, Donny."

  Ramos pulled the pin on a grenade and launched it out among the enemy who were bunched up close. Gunfire soared close by, ripping chunks of bark from the tree. The grenade finally ignited. Ramos rushed out as the dust was still settling, quickly going from one target to another with pinpoint accuracy. Burns had stayed in cover and kept up the fire. He was changing a magazine as Donny took over. He fired at the first, but his shots went wide. In the panic of the situation he hadn't even looked down the sights. He kicked himself for being so dumb, but he sucked it up and focused on the task at hand, trying desperately to control his breathing. He still never felt comfortable in these situations and wondered if he ever would.