Sic Semper Tyrannis (26 page)

Rob's last orders had been to rally the Regulators and escape to the north.  Seeking shelter wherever they could, they would become just another group of vagrants.  Well-armed vagrants, but homeless wanderers nonetheless.  Lance closed his eyes and tried to think.  What could he do?

If he called out all the Regulators, including the Rapid Action Forces that were patrolling the woods on the edge of town, he could only muster perhaps 25 men.  If Agent Levin was willing to help out, that number would be bolstered up closer to 50 or 60.  He looked down into what was left of Pine Bluff and counted the number of Chinese that were milling about.

There were at least 15 vehicles down there and as far as he could tell, close to a hundred men.  A small gaggle of what had to be officers were standing near the steps of the courthouse, behind one of the larger APCs that sprouted clusters of sensors and antennae.  That had to be the command vehicle.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for a few RPG's right about now,
Lance thought darkly.

He picked up the radio, an idea forming in his head.  If there was no way for Rob to get out, maybe there was a way for Lance to get in.  He cued the mic on his radio, "Base, Overwatch."

After a few seconds, a static-filled reply came back: "
Overwatch, Base.  Go ahead
."

"Did you catch any of that last transmission from One?"

"Catch any of what?
" 

"You didn't hear any of Rob’s last transmission?"

"
Negative, Overwatch.  His usual radio is being recharged.  I'm looking at it right here.  He took one of the backups—it’s off-the-shelf, FRS only—I don't think it gets more than a half mile.  There's no way we could pick up a signal from here.
"

Lance cursed under his breath.  "All right, well the shit has officially hit the fan."  He spent the next few minutes explaining what had happened, his thoughts about the traitor in town, and the number of Chinese now surrounding Rob and the trapped Regulators.

"
Jesus
," replied Jerry Baersfeld.  "
What you want us to do?"

"Rob gave me orders to round everybody up and hightail it to the north—anywhere to the north, just away from here."

"
I don't like that option
," replied the voice over the radio, "
and neither do a lot of people standing around me
."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Lance replied, not bothering to hide a smile on his face.  "All right, here's what I want you to do.  First, get a hold of Agent Levine.  We can't mount a rescue without his help..."

ROB WAITED UNTIL THE smoke had cleared from the dimly-lit stairwell.  Instead of a dark gloom, he saw a greenish haze.  It looked like one of the Chinese soldiers at the top of the stairs had tossed down a glow-stick.  The green glow cast an eerie light around the corner and made the lingering smoke look like some sort of ghost.  The cries of the injured at the top of the stairs slowly faded.  Either they had died or they had been dragged off—Rob couldn't care less which. 

There was a body at the bottom of the stairs, facing the wall.  His arm was lay on the floor a few feet away.  A pool of inky-black blood was just visible in the dim light cast by the glow-stick.  Rob noticed the Chinese soldier was fully loaded with ammunition pouches and a big pack full of God only knew what. 

Rob waited until he could hear absolutely nothing from the top of the stairs.  He waited an additional five minutes just to be safe before he spoke.

"Nate, you still with me?"

In the darkness to his left, a nervous–sounding voice answered, "Yeah, man.  I'm still here."

"Can you see me?"

"Barely… You look like a shadow.  But I think I know where you’re at."

"Okay, cover me while I move around this desk and see what’s going on."

"Okay," Nate whispered, “ready when you are, Boss."

"Here we go.  Everybody stay sharp."  Rob gently leaned his AR against the side of the desk and slipped around the corner.  He crouch-walked as quickly and quietly as he could the 20 feet or so to the bottom of the stairs.  He tried to ignore the severed arm in its pool of blood.  He reached forward and gently touched the body at the base of the stairs.  There was no movement.  Rob could smell cooked hamburger.  His stomach roiled at the thought, but he forced himself to go on.

Rob grabbed a fistful of the man's pants and gently pulled until the body rolled off the bottom step and landed unceremoniously in the pool of blood.  By the dim, green light of the glow stick, Rob could see debris and rocks gracing the staircase all the way to the top.  Just as Ed Franks had hoped, the wall opposite the door had collapsed.  If anyone wanted to use the stairs, they would have to excavate it first. 

He could see a hole at the top of the rubble towards the ceiling and that gave him pause.  It was plenty enough space for someone to drop a grenade or other explosive through.  That would be priority number one.  He turned back to the darkness of the basement.

"Ed, get up here and plug the hole up at the top of the stairs.  Your little trick looks like it's caved in most of the wall up top, but there’s still space for somebody to throw a grenade or something down the stairwell."

"You got it, Rob."

"Alright people, listen up.  I think the Chinese backed off for now.  Anybody with a flashlight, turn it on now so we can see what the hell were dealing with."  In reply, a light clicked on in the darkness, quickly followed by three or four more.  Rob fished out his own small penlight from his chest pocket and twisted it on.  He was grateful for the tiny beam of blue-white light that sliced open the murky gloom of the basement.

"Tommy," Rob said.

"Yeah?" was the deep reply from the back of the basement.

"Grab somebody and go around the exterior walls.  I need you to look for any way to get out of here or any way for
them
to get in.  Look for windows—this looks like some sort of storage room, so I don't think that there's going to be any—but we need to be sure."

“On it!”

Rob turned back and looked down at the body at his feet.  The man's face was a charred ruin.  He swallowed and tried to ignore the still smoking wreck that had been the soldier's chest.  Ed's little surprise had done its job well. 

Rob quickly rifled through the soldier's pockets, pulling out AK-47 magazines, ration bars, and a racy picture of a Chinese woman in lingerie.  She looked slightly embarrassed, but Rob could easily see the love in her eyes.  He sat back on his heels and sniffed, trying to get the smell of hamburger out of his nose.  He was suddenly very thirsty.

“Somebody help me dig through this stuff.  Might find something useful in here.”

He looked at the woman’s picture and felt a momentary pang of sympathy before he put the photo back where he found it with as much dignity as he could muster.

This basement will be the cause of so much pain and grief,
he thought sadly. 
On both sides.

CHAPTER 16

Dragonfire

PO SIN, DEFENSE MINISTER for the People’s Republic of China, took a long drag on his cigarette.  He   drummed his fingers on his expensive hardwood desk.  He wafted smoke away from his face as he glared at a blank monitor.  He had been given notice of successful completion of the capture of the leaders of the Regulators—but the video had yet to come through.  He could hardly wait to see the secretive American rebels strung up to hang for costing his expeditionary force so much personnel and materiel. 
Or maybe we should torture them first…hmmm…

The local commander was 15 minutes late reporting in and Po Sin had learned that lateness usually meant something bad had happened.  Something he was not going to like.  Po Sin took another drag on his cigarette and noticed with some irritation that it had already burned down to a stub.  He glanced at the ashtray and the six crumpled butts already at rest.  He reminded himself that he needed to slow down with his cigarette consumption, now that the American economy had all but collapsed.  Cigarettes were becoming a precious commodity.  He was by no means poor, but Po Sin was practical if nothing else.  No sense wasting resources.

As he debated whether or not to light up another cigarette, Po Sin noticed the monitor on his desk came to life.  The computer beeped, letting him know that it was receiving an incoming signal.

“At last!” he muttered around an unlit cigarette.

Programmer’s gibberish scrolled across the screen, informing him that a secure up-link was being established.  Since the American satellite fleet had been neutralized at the outset of the conflict, China could no longer rely on using Western hardware to transmit their own signals.  China’s fleet of satellites, both commercial and military, was growing but it was nowhere near as effective or convenient as the massive American contingent in orbit had been.  He scribbled a note on a pad of paper to request increased budget funding for maintaining and improving China’s satellite fleet.

The screen finally flickered to life and displayed a grainy image of the local commander’s face.  Po Sin sighed in satisfaction and leaned back in his chair.  Now he was getting somewhere.

The door to his office opened abruptly.  Po Sin’s mood darkened instantly.  His staff and been trained over the years to never
ever
open his door without knocking, in order to show the proper respect to a man of his position.  It was a most grievous insult for someone to simply barge into his office—his inner sanctum.  Fai would catch hell for it.  He jumped to his feet, ready to give a tongue lashing to the fool who dared interrupt him at this critical juncture—

“Ah, there you are,” said the Party Undersecretary.  The arrogance of Shin Ho riled Po Sin even more every time they met.  The Undersecretary swept into the room followed by two aides and took seats across from Po Sin’s desk.  Without so much as a ‘by your leave’.

Po Sin ground his teeth and managed a polite nod.  He wondered not for the first time how in the world it could be that
Shin Ho
had gotten the promotion for the invasion. 

Everything had been my idea
, Po Sin thought darkly. 
I’m the one who found that old Cold War invasion plan and updated for modern times.  I’m the one who put together the reports and briefings.  I’m the one who sold the Party on the idea…Yet Shin Ho takes all the credit and dares to barge into my office…

“Undersecretary, it is an honor to have you in my office once more.  Please, join me!  I was just about to receive word from the local commander in Arizona.”

Shin Ho watched Po Sin like a cat watching a bird.  He leaned back in his chair and assumed a pose of complete relaxation.  He raised one languid eyebrow and spoke: “That is precisely why I’m here.  The Supreme Leader will be meeting with officials from the Navy in a few hours.  The second wave has already cleared ports along the seacoast and we’re preparing for the third.  I was in the building on my way to meet with the Supreme Leader and decided to stop in for a status update.”

Po Sin bowed and took his seat. 
Status update?  As if I am your secretary? 

Out loud, he said, “Well, you could not have had more perfect timing.”  Po Sin tried to put on a smile, but he knew his voice held no friendliness.  He typed a few keys and the large monitor next to the office door came to life.  The local commander’s face filled the screen. 

“Ah, here we are,” said Po Sin.  He cleared his throat and leaned forward.  “Colonel, I expect good news.  The Undersecretary to the Supreme Leader is here with me.”  Po Sin relished the look of abject fear that crossed the face of the soldier.  He stood just a little bit straighter and swallowed.

“
Yes, Honorable Minister.
”  The man looked positively terrified.  “
We have succeeded in surrounding the so-called Regulators
.”

“Surrounded is not
captured
, Colonel.  Explain yourself,” growled Po Sin.  He could not believe his luck.  Shin Ho walked into his office unannounced and now this pathetic excuse for soldier was trying to tell him that he had not succeeded in his objective.   And he was 15 minutes late in doing so.  The day was turning out to be terrible, indeed.

The Colonel nodded.  “
Honorable Sirs, my contact successfully convinced the Regulator leadership to be in town at a specific time today.  These barbarians were actually distributing supplies looted from the bodies of my men to the locals.  I have been assured by our contact that the civilian population is completely against the Regulators and wishes to aid us.”

“Explain that to me, Colonel,” Po Sin said in a dangerous voice.  “If the entire town wants to help us, why has no one come forward telling us where these bandits sleep?”

“
Minister, from what I have been able to gather, these Regulators keep to themselves.   We know that they hide up one of the mountains in the area, but there are many places they could be hiding.  I simply don’t have the manpower to search every square inch of land.
”

The officer cleared his throat.  “
In the meantime, I devised a trap with the collaborator from the town.  The fool thinks he is gaining favor with us by handing over his own people…he actually came through on his part of the bargain!  I arrived with my entire force a short while ago and trapped the terrorists in the local magisterial building
.”

“Well,” grumbled Po Sin as he lit another cigarette, “at least you have their leaders cornered.  However, I do not understand why you have not simply destroyed this building?”  He inhaled the acrid smoke from the cigarette into his lungs and watched Shin Ho across the table.  His superior leaned forward, closely watching the Colonel’s image on the screen.

“
Honorable Minister, I...
" the man's eyes shifted as if he were looking at someone else on his screen.

Shin Ho cleared his throat.  "We have not given the order to attack the building because the leader of these terrorists—these bandits—is among the men trapped in the building."

Po Sin was incredulous. 
How dare he take control of my operation!  Behind my back!
Out loud, he blurted, "What difference does it make?”

Shin Ho offered a patient smile.  “Go on Colonel, explain yourself.”

"Yes, sir.  They have no food, no water, no supplies, and limited weaponry and ammunition.  My men have the building completely sealed off and surrounded.  We have overwhelming numbers and firepower.  It’s only a matter of time before we get our hands on him.  Once he is in our custody, we will… interrogate him…and discover the whereabouts of the rest of these Regulators.  Then we can attack in force and eradicate them once and for all.”

Po Sin recoiled inwardly but was too experienced to let it show.  He spoke quickly, taking the floor from Shin Ho.  "Excellent news, Colonel.  Keep me informed."

Shin Ho was quick to chime in: “Yes, excellent progress, Colonel.  The Supreme Leader will be most interested in your progress.  Please keep us informed.”

The colonel stiffened, a sheen of sweat visible on his forehead.  “
Of course, Honorable Ministers!
”  The man took Shin Ho’s comments as a dismissal and the signal went dead after a snappy salute.

Po Sin had to restrain himself from flinging the heavy jade ashtray from his desk against the side of his former friend’s head. 
He
was in charge of the mission,
he
had established the secured transmission line, and
he
had come up with the plan to capture these Regulators while the main force of the assault group moved into California.  And here, once again, Shin Ho was injecting himself into the process in order to steal the glory and look good before the Supreme Leader. 

No doubt one day soon, he will take credit for this entire operation
, Po Sin fumed.

Shin Ho got to his feet and his aides snapped to attention behind him, their chests adorned with campaign ribbons and medals.  Po Sin got to his feet almost laconically.  He was amazed that two highly decorated veterans would be reduced to menial servants of the Undersecretary.  It pointed to another step his friend had taken toward becoming one of the elite political movers in China.  The sense of entitlement, the waste, the ineptitude.  These were all things that Po Sin had decided—with the help of his friend Shin Ho—long ago should be excised from the heart of China.  The anger at his authority being usurped by Shin Ho faded, to be replaced with sadness.

For the first time, Po Sin realized that when he took ultimate power over China, Shin Ho would have to die.  He was now part of the problem instead of the solution.  Could he not see it?

"Oh," Shin Ho said on his way to the door.  He turned back, and casually glanced over his shoulder.  "You are to be congratulated on the fall of Phoenix, my friend."

Po Sin nodded.  "Thank you, Undersecretary,” he said, ignoring the ‘friend’ comment.  “Though the credit should go where it is deserved—with the soldiers.  They did an excellent job carrying out my orders. That is the largest city in our path until San Diego, itself.  Now nothing stands between the assault force and California."

"I presume it also has the added benefit of driving fear into the hearts of the Americans that stand before us and our goal?"

Po Sin nodded.  "You are correct, Undersecretary.  If nothing else it will make anyone still in their homes evacuate for safety.  Word of the army’s approach will make the civilian population crazy with fear.  This will add only to the confusion that the Federal government must face in order to get to us."

“Oh, one last thing,” Po Sin said, pretending to just remember something.  He opened a folder on his desk and pulled out an 8 x 10 glossy color photograph.  "This was taken not 12 hours ago by one of the reconnaissance elements of the assault force."  He handed over the picture and made no attempt at hiding his pride. 

Let Shin Ho try to claim the credit for this
, he told himself. 

Po Sin glanced down at a copy of the photograph, still in the folder.  The skyline of Phoenix—the high-rises and skyscrapers, all shrouded in thick, dark smoke.  Flames consumed fully one-half the skyline.  It was a beautiful.  Smoke from fires that had been long burning since the summer surrounded the entire area.  He’d had reports that ash was falling so thick, soldiers joked it was dirty snow.

"Truly a fiery holocaust," said the Undersecretary.  He handed back the photograph.

Po Sin refused the picture.  "No, no—I insist you keep it.”  He snapped his fingers as if an idea had just occurred to him.  “Show it to the Supreme Leader for me.  Let him know that progress is being made.  This and many more will be included in my official report, which I will hand deliver to him next week.  By then we should be setting up a base on the Californian coast, just in time to welcome the second wave."

Po Sin's day was officially made by the crestfallen expression on Shin Ho's face.  The Undersecretary turned to leave the room without another word.

This round belongs to me, old friend.  Better luck next time! 
Once the door to his office had closed, Po Sin couldn’t help but laugh.