Rebels & Lies (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 1) (29 page)

There was an odd, mixed feeling inside of Kaspar. He couldn’t put
his finger on it. Danny was the man who gave up Mother and he finally received
justice. However, Kaspar couldn’t bring himself to feel happy about it.
Danny…he was like a father figure, in a strange way, a friend, too. Just
thinking about it forced him to slam the side of the van with his fist.

He could hear Paxton and Clarke’s voices converse with one another
through his ear piece. Kaspar looked over to Krys. She just seemed to stare off
into the distance. No emotion and, least of all, no smile. He had to do
something to cheer her up again. They were going in on a dangerous mission once
more and he couldn’t bear not seeing that smile again.

Kaspar leaned forward. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Krys replied, running her hand through her ponytail. “I’m
fine.”

“You sure?”

“That’s what I said, right?”

“Okay,” Kaspar replied. He started to look around the van while he
rubbed his cheek. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”

“What’s that?”

Kaspar looked around the van once more. Paxton and Kilbourne were
talking strategy in the front. Over to the right, Li was huddled in a corner,
meditating again. He thought about what to say for a moment. Krys leaned
forward in anticipation. Screw it, Kaspar thought, who cares?

“I know this great place downtown. They’ve got pool tables
everywhere and it’s not as crowded with biker gangs as your place, either.”

“Okay…”

“I was thinking, when all this is over, we should head over there
sometime.”

“You asking me out or something?” Krys demanded.

Oh, shit.

“Not so much asking you out,” Kaspar replied. “As free lessons on
me. I never got the chance to kick that ass of yours.”

“I don’t know…” Krys’s voice started to trail off. “It sure sounds
like you’re asking me out. That ulterior motive reeks off of you, sir.”

Kaspar leaned back and shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe, maybe not,
what do you say?”

Krys leaned back as well. “I’d have to say no. You don’t seem like
the dating type to me.”

A feeling of defeat attacked Kaspar inside. He remained
undeterred, though. He stared into her wide, brown eyes as she stared back at
him. Kaspar dared the woman inside his own mind to look away first. He longed
to see her smile again…before the shooting started.

“Fuck you, too.” Kaspar said. He never knew what it was like to
want to put his own foot in his mouth, but it just slipped out.

Krys’s eyes widened as she looked dumbfounded at him. Kaspar put
on a huge grin. Krys couldn’t help but smile back. The smiles soon turned to
laughter. Li was shook away from his meditating and looked over to the two
crazies he shared the back of the van with. They had a primitive look on their
faces. It was almost like they were going to eat each other. Li shook his head
and tried to get back to meditating. He had a grin on his face, too.

“Oh my God!” Krys exclaimed. “I can’t believe you just said that
to me.”

“You deserved it.” Kaspar replied, still smiling.

“I’ll tell you what you deserve, a nice kick in the ass. When?”

“When what?”

“You really are a moron, aren’t you?”

Kaspar thought for a moment. “How about tomorrow?”

“I can’t make that tomorrow…I’ll probably be tired.”

“Next night?”

“Ummm…” Krys looked straight up at the ceiling of the van and
smirked. Kaspar looked on, enjoying watching her playing hard to get. She
looked back down, “You’ve got it.”

“Okay, but, you’ve been warned.”

“So have you, big shot.”

“Hey, Kas,” Kilbourne said from the front, breaking the spell.
“Can you hand me that red bag back there?”

Kaspar gripped the shoulder straps of the red bag. He handed the
bag off to Kilbourne’s awaiting hands. In that moment, Kaspar was reminded that
now was not the time to get sloppy and lose track of his focus. Now, more than
ever, he needed to maintain it on the task at hand. It would be a hell of a
time to do something stupid like wind up dead.

Up front, Kilbourne unzipped the red bag and examined the contents
inside. He pulled out a large amount of C4, charges, and a detonator. After
examination, he placed the contents back inside and zipped the bag shut.

“We’re going to find the main processing lab inside there,” Paxton
instructed. “Then blow it to kingdom come.”

“How big of an explosion do you want?” Kilbourne wondered.

“Big enough to dismantle the fucking things.”

“What I mean is, do you want me to bring the whole building down?”

Paxton smirked. “Of course not, we’re not terrorists.”

***

Paxton parked the van outside of the power plant. The team filed
out on his command. Before he made his exit, he said a silent prayer. When he
opened his eyes, the sight before him made him sick. That plant represented
everything that he and his team were fighting against. The USR manufactured a
drug to further increase their control over the population. Genetic control,
population control, control over the individual. He breathed in and accessed
the old killer once more. Could his old bones handle another fire fight?

The team assembled behind the van. They had been waiting patiently
for their leader to arrive. Paxton looked to each of them before he spoke.
First was Ron Kilbourne, loyal to the end. Li, a meek person at heart, but with
a will made of solid steel. His heart sank when he reached Krys. She was the
constant encourager who always put the needs of others ahead of her own. If
there was anyone who didn’t deserve the fate she faced, it was her. No matter,
tonight she would help in the assurance that that fate wouldn’t be passed down
to another.

He looked to Kaspar last. Kaspar had every right to not be here
right now. His mother’s killers were still at large, yet, he was sacrificing
the one thing that drove him to this point. Was it for the greater good or
something else? Maybe, for the first time, the kid learned something from
what’s been going on around him. Maybe he would ask him one day after all this
shit wound down. In either case, he was grateful that he was here, no matter
his internal motivations.

“Before we go in there,” Paxton said, having everyone’s full
attention. “I just want to extend a personal thank you to each and every one of
you. You’ve fought the good fight. I couldn’t give a shit what Danny said to us
back there. We know what we’ve been fighting for. In light of this Intel,
however, if there are any of you who wish to leave, you may do so. No one will
look down upon you for doing so. Just, go now, please.”

No one left. The only thing that Paxton saw were focused eyes
loyal to him and the mission. He looked down and smiled again. They had learned
well. None of them would dare leave now. Paxton knew that.

The smile went away. “Thank you, again. Here’s the game plan: Ron
is going to blow those machines to hell. We are going to provide him with cover
fire. This is going to be a dangerous one. We are going to raid a USR
stronghold; one that they will not want to give away easily. Stick to your
training, instincts, and to each other. Don’t get yourselves killed in there,
understood?”

“Yes, sir!” the team cried in unison.

“Game faces,” Paxton said. The team retrieved their masks and slid
them on. “Look alive and stay sharp.”

Kaspar rubbed at his mask to make sure it fit snug. He looked
through the tinted eye holes at the building in front. The PSD gripped tight in
his hands, he allowed himself to think of Mother one last time. Kaspar hoped
that he was doing the right thing by her: letting her killers go free to pursue
something greater. The team stayed low as they approached the building. Kaspar
held up the rear.

Up front, Paxton touched his ear piece, he ignored the static.
“Robert, you there?”

“Yeah,” Clarke replied through the static.

“You got a good read on security?”

“Sure do. I’m looking at the feeds right now. It looks like that
lobby is crawling with tangos. It’s like they are expecting you guys.”

“With what Danny told us, they probably are. How many?”

“Ten, maybe twelve.”

“Thanks.”

“You guys be careful in there,” Clarke said. “I just wish I could
be out there with you tonight.”

“I know,” Paxton replied. “Just keep our asses informed.”

“I will.”

“Over and out.”

The team approached the main entrance. Paxton held up his hand for
the team to stop. He looked down at his PSD hoping that it would keep him
alive. After several deep breaths he prepared to brief his team.

“Entrance is crawling with tangos,” Paxton said with a low tone.
“When we take them out it should be smooth sailing. Check your weapons.”

Kaspar looked down at the PSD. He switched the safety off, moved the
fire rate to full automatic, and then chambered a round. In front of him, Krys
was saying a quiet prayer or something. He looked to the stars and thanked
Mother for her wisdom. This was the right thing to do, he was sure of it now.
He just hoped he didn’t end up dead for it.

The damn static in Paxton’s ear made it hard to make out what
Clarke was saying. Something about it was now or never. A couple of the guards
had moved on to patrol other areas of the building. Paxton nodded his head. He
held up his right hand with all five fingers extended. He folded his thumb in:
four. Index finger: three. Middle finger: two. Ring finger: one.

From the back, Kaspar kept his eyes on the baby finger. His
breathing increased and his grip on the PSD grew tighter. This was no time to
turn into a coward. Only the moment mattered: the seconds that would determine
whether he lived or died. The speed of his trigger finger being faster than his
enemies…

Just drop that damn finger already, Kaspar thought. In front of
him, Krys’s prayer grew in sound and intensity. He looked down one last time at
the yellow fabric. He looked up just in time to see Paxton drop his baby
finger.

With his PSD shouldered, Paxton kicked in the front door. He took
aim at one of the two Agents that guarded the door. A short, three round burst
dropped his enemy. Before the second guard could get in a clean shot, he
received the same fate. Paxton ran towards one of the stone pillars that ran
from the marble floor to the ceiling. He pressed his back against it, ignoring
the sound of the Agent’s rifles and the pieces of stone flying in the air.

Kaspar followed in behind the others. Upon approach of the kicked
in door, the deafening sound of gun fire caused a ring in his ears. When he
entered he saw flashes from the guard’s automatics from the back. Gun smoke and
flying stone filled the air. He took aim with his PSD and fired as he ran
towards a wooden sign in desk. Once close enough, Kaspar slid the rest of the
way feet first and took cover behind it.

Behind the desk, Kaspar moved the stock of the PSD to his
shoulder. He forced himself to move from safety to help the others. His upper
body moved up from behind the desk. He scanned his eyes wildly as he looked for
a target. There was a guard at the back who fired at someone else. Kaspar took
aim and squeezed on the trigger. Six rounds spit out. He took cover before
confirming his kill.

Paxton kept his cover behind the pillar. Bullets continued to tear
through the stone structure. He pivoted right and found an enemy. The Agent
just stood, scared shitless, his head moved around without aim. Paxton almost
felt bad when he squeezed the trigger. The three rounds tore through the
Agent’s chest. He dropped. Paxton pivoted back.

Krys peered through the safety of the pillar she used. Out of the
corner of her eye was an Agent sprinting to a new position. She moved her gun
and aimed a few inches ahead of the runner. She pulled the trigger. Four rounds
tore through the Agent. Krys moved back.

Kilbourne fired at a rapid pace; the pillar behind him used only
when he needed a reload. He shifted his body from left to right, the red bag
over his shoulder swung around with each move. To his right he took aim at an
Agent behind a computer desk. To his left he hit another Agent who pivoted out
from behind a pillar. The PSD went dry. In a quick motion, his back rested
against the stone, he grabbed a fresh mag from his flak jacket and reloaded.

Li moved from pillar to pillar firing away with his PSD. He moved
left and saw an Agent pop out of cover. The Agent took an automatic burst to
the chest then a round to the head. Right beside the Agent was another one who
was delivered the same fate. Li made a run for the pillar in front of him.
After running full speed he slid on the slick floor for it. An Agent with a
shotgun moved towards his direction. Li aimed and pulled the trigger. Nothing
but clicks. A squeeze of the trigger and buckshot tore through Li’s armor.

The scene unfolded in front of Paxton. “Yung!”

The Agent pumped the shotgun and fired again. Paxton moved back to
safety. Shattered stone flew in every direction.