Rebels & Lies (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 1) (30 page)

Kaspar saw the Agent with the shotgun. After he took careful aim
with the PSD he squeezed the trigger. A full automatic burst exploded the
Agent’s armor. He looked left and delivered another automatic burst into
another Agent.

Krys came out of hiding. She ran fast towards her fallen comrade.
She flung the PSD over her shoulder then reached down for her P99. With her
right arm in full extension she reached down for Li.

“Krys,” Paxton yelled. “Get back!”

He stopped his order. An Agent came out with a clean shot on Krys.
Paxton delivered a three round burst into the chest. Then sent another burst to
the head.

The sound of a door opening came from the back. Three more Agents,
P90’s shouldered, started to fire away. Paxton eyed them. He sent several short
bursts their way. The PSD started to click. Back behind the safety of cover, he
reached for another clip.

Krys fired her pistol at one of the Agents. The Agent backed off
to find cover. With all of her strength, Krys drug Li to the pillar beside them
by his collar. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an Agent poke his head
out. She sent a 9MM round through it.

The whole scene unfolded in front of Kaspar. He moved his head up
and the thing he feared most happened. He froze. Everything seemed to move in
slow motion. Paxton shouted inaudible commands like he was yelling underwater.
He watched Krys reload her pistol then looked right to see Kilbourne take out
another one. Is this what his world had come to? Is this what it took to be
free?

Kaspar saw a flash from the distance. The bullet was stopped only
by the front of the wooden desk. Splinters of the wood bounced off the dark
lenses. Snapped back into reality, Kaspar aimed his PSD towards the source of
the flash. The full automatic burst tore through the Agent’s chest. Kaspar
dropped back down behind the desk.

“That’s all of them for now.” Clarke said through the radio. “But
get back there and set those charges. Reinforcements are on their way.”

“Let’s get moving!” Paxton ordered.

Paxton looked over to see Krys sitting behind Li. She had his head
rested on her chest. Paxton could see that Li still drew breath. Li reached up
to rip his mask off to make the breathing easier. Unable to do so himself, he
waited for Krys take it off. Even without the mask, his breathing was labored
and his face had gone pale. His lips shook as he tried to speak.

The old veteran put his index finger over his lips. He reached
down and took hold of Li’s right hand. With what strength was left, his fallen
comrade squeezed back. Paxton had seen death far too many times during his days
as a Marine and now as a rebel leader. Seeing comrades, no brothers, die never
got easier.

“You did well,” Paxton said. “You can go now with honor.”

“G—go on,” Li whispered. “I’ve got this room covered. Any USR
t—try to come through here and they’re to—ast.”

“Yung,” Krys started to say.

“I j—just need to get into a good f—firing position.”

Krys reached down. She moved Li sideways and allowed him to rest
his back against the pillar. Li had a clear shot at the front door. Paxton
picked up the PSD from the floor as Krys grabbed a mag from Li’s flak jacket.
Paxton handed over the gun it for him. Li reached up and took hold of it. He
moved the gun up to aim it at the door.

Seconds later the PSD crashed to the floor.

Paxton led the way to the backdoor of the lobby. He opened the
door and pointed the barrel of his PSD forward. There were no guards to be
found so he relaxed his stance. He turned and gave the signal for the others to
file in. The door led to a hallway with white walls and shined, black tiles. At
the end of it stood a white door. Paxton grabbed the silver handle with his left
hand. With his right, he raised the PSD once more. He took a quick breath
before he pushed down on the handle.

With the PSD shouldered, Paxton scanned the empty furniture and
desks of yet another lobby. When he saw the coast was clear, he lowered the weapon.

“Move in.” he ordered through his throat mic.

The others obeyed. Kaspar entered the lobby with his PSD at the
ready. This lobby had an eerie silence to him. There were no guns blazing; no
one shouted orders. No comrades bleeding to death. Silence. The silence made
him feel uneasy. The room’s lights were turned off; the only source of light
came from the TVs on the wall. Kaspar looked up to one and saw Krys’s handiwork
on a news broadcast. He smiled underneath his mask.

Paxton touched his ear again. The static disappeared to the point
that he could hear Clarke’s voice clear.

“The main lab,” Clarke instructed, “is in the east wing of the
building. Use room A8 to gain access.”

“Roger that.” Paxton replied.

All the doors in the lobby were made of well-maintained glass. The
doors were clean and perfectly clear with the names of each room in bold, white
letters. Paxton scanned them. When he found the one he searched for, he pointed
it out to the others. The door had a security reader by the handle. Paxton
reached up with his PSD then fired. The glass shattered, giving the team a
clear entry into A8.

Paxton moved forward ahead of the others, kicking the loose glass
at the bottom of the door. He scanned for enemies but found none. Upon entry,
the lights above kicked on automatically. The illumination revealed the inside
of the lab. There were shiny metal desks lined up in the middle. Again, it was
quiet. The only sound came from the buzz of the lights above. At the far left
corner sat a glass structure with holes in the sides, black gloves attached.
Paxton saw it and figured that was where the USR created their great
contributions to mankind.

Kaspar stood in the back, his PSD held at the waist. He looked
around the room. Just like outside, the offices had glass doors, names written
in bold white. He started to move around and in the corner of his eye one of
the offices caught his attention. It read: “DANIEL JOHNSON: TEAM LEAD”. The old
bastard had been telling the truth. Underneath his mask, Kaspar cursed Danny
one final time.

In the back of the lab stood a white, rectangular shaped object
leaned against the wall. Paxton walked up to it. The machine made a soft
rumbling sound. Down on one knee, Paxton examined the box. To the side he could
see clear tubes that ran towards the box with the black gloves. The tubes fed a
milky substance into it.

“Ron,” Paxton called out as he stood to his feet.

“What’s up?” Kilbourne asked. He walked over to the box.

“This is it, set the charges here.”

“On it.”

“Double time it,” Paxton ordered. “Your only function in life
right now is to set those charges, do you get me?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kilbourne got down to one knee and removed the red bag from his
shoulder. He pulled out the C4 first, then the charges. After he attached the
plastic explosive to the box, he inserted the charges. Kilbourne started to
fool around with the timer.

“Don’t worry if things…” Paxton began to say.

“You’ve got trouble!” Clarke cried through the ear piece.

“AMBUSH!” Kaspar called from the front of the lab.

From out of nowhere, an assault team of thirteen Agents began to
pour through the broken glass. Kaspar took aim and fired off several rounds
before he ducked behind a desk. At the far end, Paxton turned to face the
Agents. He fired off his PSD in three round bursts while he ran for cover.

The assault team came fully armed with full body armor. They aimed
their M4 Carbines and fired at everything in sight. Computer monitors went up
in smoke. The doors of the offices shattered, sending shards of glass into the
air.

Kilbourne worked on the charges faster than he knew he could. He
connected the last charge then set the timer for ten minutes. Kilbourne reached
down to pick up the PSD that lay on the ground. When he turned around, he saw
nothing but the muzzle flashes of the automatic weapons. The rounds shredded
his Kevlar vest and he fell to the ground. He lay in a pool of his own blood.
He took his last breath…

“Ron!” Paxton cried out. “Goddamn it!”

Paxton reached down and switched the PSD to full auto. He popped
his head up to see an Agent storm his position. Paxton, quick and decisive with
his aim, put a burst of rounds into his enemy. The other members of the assault
team began to take their positions around the lab. There would be no easy escape,
Paxton knew. They would soon be surrounded and picked off one by one.

He moved his head over the corner of the work station. He saw the
Agents forming up on the left hand side. They were going to flank him, then
take out Kaspar and Krys. Paxton could not let that happen. He would not lose
any more men tonight.

Paxton shot up from his cover and began to fire away. He drew the
assault team’s fire. Paxton managed to take out another Agent in the process.
He ducked back down. The computer monitor on the desk exploded before his head
was fully down. Through the black cloth of his Balaclava, he could feel the
shards of glass from the monitor poke through.

Krys rolled over onto her back. An Agent tried to take cover
beside her, oblivious to her position. She took aim. The barrage of automatic
rounds took out that Agent’s legs. When he fell to the ground, Krys ended it
with a burst to the head. She continued to move backwards on her back. She
rounded the corner of the workstation. She saw another Agent and dropped him.
When she finished rounding the corner, she pressed her back against the metal
desk and reached in her flak jacket for a fresh mag and then rolled over to the
right. As soon as she was exposed, automatic fire ripped apart the tiled floor
in front. She moved back over and took a deep breath.

Kaspar, still at the front of the lab, poked his head over the
desk. He saw an Agent fire at someone. Kaspar squeezed the trigger. The rounds
tore apart the Agent’s backside. A burst of fire came Kaspar’s way. He ducked
his head back down just in time.

In the back, Paxton had a fresh magazine. He moved his body up
from cover and searched for an enemy. He found one. He took aim. Something bit
into the right side of his neck. Paxton reached towards the source of the pain
before he fell backwards.

“NO!” Krys yelled.

Krys stood. She took aim at the Agent who had taken down her
leader. He turned only to be taken down by the burst of rounds. Krys turned and
fired away at another Agent while she ran towards Paxton’s position. The rounds
disintegrated his body armor.

Kaspar moved his head up for a brief moment. A hail of gun fire
destroyed everything in his line of vision. He ducked back down. His breathing
increased. The adrenaline flowed through his body. His hands shook from his
overworked nerves. Kilbourne was dead for sure. The same had to be assumed for
Paxton, who wasn’t in any shape to fight now, anyway. All that remained now was
himself and Krys. Kaspar looked down and touched the yellow fabric with his
index finger.

Mother, I’m coming…

He held the PSD up and rested the stock against his shoulder. He
stood and began to yell. The Agents drew their attention the source of the
noise. They all aimed towards his position. The rounds from their M4’s
shattered what was left of the glass office door beside him. Kaspar began to
jog towards them, firing his gun away as he did. Kaspar took out an Agent
before he lowered his head. He took cover two work stations over. He poked the
barrel of the PSD over the desk and squeezed the trigger until the gun started
to click.

Kaspar brought the gun back to his waist. He released the empty
clip and then inserted a full one. There were only four Agents left. Kaspar and
Krys…they had to a chance to make it out of this alive.

Hearing the yell in the back, Krys forced her body up from out of
cover. She took out the Agent that Kaspar missed. She lowered herself back
down. Paxton lay in front of her. Krys could see that he still breathed, but he
was unconscious, and blood leaked from his neck. There was nothing to be done
for him at this point. He just had to hold on.

Kaspar heard footsteps coming from his right. He raised the PSD
and was ready to make his move…

“Ryan!” Krys cried.

No, Kaspar thought.
No, Goddamn it, no.

Krys stood and ran towards Kaspar’s position, firing away. She
took out the Agent to Kaspar’s right. Still behind cover, Kaspar moved his head
over and saw her running. He saw the flashes from her gun. What was she
thinking?

An Agent got into position to fire at her. Kaspar saw him. He
pointed his gun and pulled the trigger until it could fire no more. The Agent
fell to the ground, his body riddled with bullets. Krys dropped and took cover
at the work station in front of Kaspar. The two remaining Agents moved swiftly
to her position. They were trying to surround her.

Kaspar saw it. He dropped the empty PSD to the ground. With a hand
on each Beretta attached to his thighs, he yanked the guns free. He popped his
body up and aimed each of the handguns at the two Agents. They saw him, turned
their direction his way, and took aim at him as well. Kaspar squeezed each
trigger repeatedly. The semiautomatics sent a spray of bullets towards the
bogeys. He continued to pull…until each of the slides locked back.

The Agents dropped to the ground. Krys moved up. She pointed her
PSD in all directions. When she saw there were no lingering enemies, she
lowered her weapon. Her attention turned to Paxton, who was slowly bleeding to
death. Kaspar dropped the two empty handguns to the ground. He picked up the
PSD and moved in towards Krys. He grabbed her by the arm. When she turned,
Kaspar pulled her in close with his hands. He could feel on his chest that her
heart was beating as quickly as his own. He then looked over at the timer.

4:34…4:33…4:32…

“We’ve got to get out of here now.” Kaspar said.

“I know,” Krys replied. She pulled away, “The others?”

“They are dead. If we don’t want to lie next to them we have to…”

“I hate to break this up,” Clarke said through the radio. “But,
you guys have to get out now. Another van full of USR troops just pulled in
front of the building. Get out now.”

“Let’s go.” Kaspar ordered.

Krys’s eyes were fixated on Paxton’s body. “He might still…”

“Maybe so, but we can’t drag him out of here, can we? We’d never
make it past the timer. And, even if we did, the reinforcements would send us
to hell.”

Krys sighed, “Fine. Let’s go.”

“Guys,” Clarke’s voice again, “you really need to get moving.
Those reinforcements are already in the front lobby.”

“Any suggestions?” Kaspar demanded as the two began to move.

“The emergency exit is right in front of you. You see that red
door next to the bomb?”

“Yes.”

“Go through that. It’s going to take you outside.”

“Roger. And…” Kaspar started to say.

“What?”

“I’m…sorry about the others.”

“Don’t worry about that now. Just get yourself and Krys out of
there.”

Kaspar pushed the red door open in front of him. As soon as the
door moved, a loud buzzing noise filled the air. Krys tailed behind him. Once
through the door, they ran fast through the knee high grass and weeds. They
searched around the blackness for somewhere to go.

“What now?” Kaspar demanded.

“Umm…” Clarke’s voice said. “Look to your left. Straight ahead is
an old abandoned church. You can try to hide out in there.”

“Copy that.”

Kaspar grabbed Krys by the hand. The two ran through the tall
grass towards the church building. Kaspar kept moving his head from left to
right. He was anticipating an ambush at any moment. With a squint of his eyes,
the decaying exterior of the church came into view. The rusted cross which once
stood on the roof had fallen off long ago. It was stuck in the earth on its
side.

They arrived at the entrance. Kaspar let loose of Krys’s hand then
played around with the door handle. The doors were locked, but he could see
that the locks were rotting. He pushed Krys aside, raised his right leg, and
kicked the door in. He let Krys move in front. Kaspar entered behind. He
reached over for the light switch and the lights flickered on.

The lights revealed old, wooden pews. They once shined with a rich
brown color. That shine was long gone, with green mixed in with the light brown
color. Some pews even had the legs taken out from under them from the years of
non-maintenance. In the front stood a stage with blue carpet that began to peel
away from the floor. Kaspar walked across the wooden floor towards the stage.
His eyes were fixed on the large, rusted cross that stood in front of rusted
organ pipes.