Ch 6

Ch. 6 Alliances ?We must all hang together, or we will surely hang separately? After a few days of enlarging the redoubt to make it more comfortable for three, and adding a fire hearth inside, They decided that they would head back over to Rhino?s place and collect some more gear and try to gather some information on H.S. activity. When they arrived, they dug up a 20 MM can full of web gear. Sandy was given a Load Bearing Vest (LBV), pistol belt, 2 canteens, 4 ammo pouches, and a butt pack. From another cache she received a medium A.L.I.C.E. pack with frame. They removed two more M-4?s and a Beretta M9 and holster from yet another cache. ?Kinda like digging for treasure.? sandy said. ?That is what my son called it.? Rhino said, a strange look crossing his face. he dropped his shovel and walked up the hill, kneeling again by the ash pile. ?Did I say something wrong?? Sandy asked. ?No, just hit a nerve. His wife and soon were killed here about two weeks ago, the H.S. burned the bodies up the hill. His son thought it was a game burying stuff, called it playing buried treasure. Just give him room, and time.? Rusty explained. ?I?ll go talk to him.? she said and started to get up. ?Let him be.? Rusty said, but she was already on her way up the hill. Rhino knelt thinking, two weeks had changed so much. ?Well dear,? he said out loud. ?looks like I started something. Sorry I wasn?t there for you. I thought we had more time. I know you are at peace, some day I will be to, God willing, but not for a while. There is always work to be done. Give the little guy a hug for me tell him to be good. I?ll see you soon.? A tear dripped to the dst. His leg burned where the wound was. He had been on it too much. Boots crunched gravel, and he spun, drawing the Colt and rolling into a prone position. the sights aligned on a small camoed figure. Sandy froze. ?Friendly!? she yelled as she hit the deck. Rhino stood and limped over to her, offering her a hand. ?Sorry, I?m kinda on edge of late.? he said, managing a half smile. ?It?s OK,? she said taking the hand and pulling herself up. ?Sorry, I didn?t mean to to cause you pain earlier. I didn?t know the story. Is that why you fight so hard?? ?That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. That which does, takes me to see my family. How can I loose.? With that they walked back to Rusty. ?Told ya to let him be.? Rusty said to Sandy as she brushed gravel of there pants. ?It?s alright, it has been days since I?ve been scared $hittless.? at Sandy?s response the trio burst into laughter, sometimes it was the best medicine. By dusk, they had fitted Sandy with gear, an M-4, pistol and mags and ammo. Rhino explained that it was good for all of them to be able to swap rifle mags on patrol, Sandy agreed, but still liked the mp5 better. Rusty offered to carry the MP5 for her but she rebuffed him. ?It?s my toy, dammit, I carry my own weight.? She snapped, but softened it a bit by adding,?but thanks for asking.? ?Where to now Boss?? Sandy asked. ?Get some info, maybe a shower? Rhino replied. Rhino barely fit through the dog door on the Chief?s garage,the others slid right through. Using a small LED flashlight, Rhino located the control box for the intercom. He Flipped the switch to ON ?..d you Captain Shabaz, I have not heard from you task force that was at Waverly, maybe they deserted like the others I have heard about. (pause) Sorry, Yes yes, I realize those stories are lies told by subversives. (pause) Of course I will let you know if I hear anything. (pause) No I have not seen any trace of Green, I am sure he is far from here. Probably headed South toward Kentucky. Yes sir, You have a good evening. Good night.? ?Man that Shabaz is PI$$Ed off!? the Chief said. ?Only one person can PI$$ OFF a politician like that and you know who I am talking about.? ?No I don?t, Dad, who would I know that would be annoying to to pencil necked Jackboots?? she responded coyly. Rhino could almost imagine the look of mock

innocence. ?Wanna bet a Dollar that your ole buddy Howard had something to do with that missing squad?? the chief said. Rhino pushed the Call button and said, ?Don?t take that bet Dear, you?ll loose your milk money.? ?Green!!, Get your A$$ in here!? the Chief boomed. ?Speak of the Devil.? the Chief said with a smile. The three trotted in the back door, Safed their weapons, and dropped their packs. Rhino introduced Rusty and Sandy to the Chief and Beth. ?Go clean yourselves up.? the Chief said. ?Beth, get this girl something to change into while we wash their clothes, no color brightener or fabric softener, that reflects IR and UV, bad stuff for night vision. Rusty I?ll get you a pair of jeans, Howard, your SH*T outa luck you big ox, you get a towel.? They got out of their clothes and into clean garments while Beth started washing the BDU?s. Sandy showered first. When she was done her and Beth retired to one of the other rooms. ?Ya know that is a bad thing for both of you.? the Chief said,only half joking. Rhino sat and talked to the Chief while Rusty showered. They talked of H.S. Activities, the Events of Waverly, Sandy coming to be with them. ?Looks like one of the buggers got lucky.? The Chief said, Pointing at Rhino?s leg. ?Yeah, but his luck ran out about 2 seconds later.? Rhino responded. ?You OK?? the Chief asked ?Fine.? said Rhino. ?Sandy and her uncle are ****ed good medics. Just a little stiff? ?That?ll happen as you get old. Let?s hope you get to find out.? Said the Chief. Rusty came out wearing the Chief?s jeans and sat down. He was offered a beer. The Chief Knew Rhino would have refused, since he quit drinking nearly a decade ago. Rusty eagerly accepted. The water was getting cold as Rhino finished the shower, but it still felt great. You don?t realize how good something feels until you are deprived of it for a while. The Chief had put 3 Pizzas in the oven and they were now ready. The three nomads ate hungrily. and their clothes were ready when the Pizzas were gone. Rhino noticed that Beth had cut Sandy?s hair shorter. ?Easier to take care of in the field.? Sandy said, when she saw him notice. ?The Chief tells me there is a small supply base and garrison at Carlinville at the Amtrak station, about 50 troops and lots of goodies. Wanna pay them a visit?? Rhino asked. Enthusiastic nods were given by his two companions. ?Chief, can we sleep in your garage tonight?? Rhino asked. ?We can do better than that .? the Chief answered. The house next door is empty, has been since the attack. ?Joe and Suzy were in Chicago at a Cubs game when that Suitcase Nuke went off. Don?t reckon they would mind. The lights are off, but the beds are softer than that concrete.? ?Sounds good.? Rhino said. ?We will be gone before dawn. thanks for our hospitality. Is there anything you need?? ?Getting low on beer, your jarhead friend drank 3 of my last six pack.? the Chief joked. THey said their good byes and the three camo clad soldiers went to the abandoned house. THere was a foul smell in the air. Sandy was about to open the refrigerator when Rhino stopped her. ?You don?t want to do that. that stuff has been rotting in there for 3 months without electricity in the summer. We would be puking pizza for hours.? ?Wow, I never thought of that.? Sandy said. They lit candles for two reasons. the hide the smell, and to plan their trip. Carlinville was 25 Miles South. Rhino knew the layout pretty well. there was an abandoned grain elevator about 1/4 mile from the station, they would sneak in there the following night, observe the situation, and attack the following night.

Objectives: raise Hell, kill as many H.S. as possible, steal as many supplies as possible, egress south away fro home base and loop around to the west. Above all, get home alive to fight another day. They went to their separate rooms. Rhino had trouble getting to sleep. Rusty had no such issue as his loud snoring filled the house. Rhino laid on the couch and watched the candle burn. Memories flooded back, the last week in combat, the sounds, the smells, further back. The raid that took his family, the days of preparation, the day of the attacks, Even further back, His son born, Wedding day, his fathers death, High school, Prom, Beth Wilkins in a light blue dress, Beth Wilkins out of a light blue dress in his Black Mustang. He didn?t even hear Sandy enter the room.

?A man who sits and stares at a candle, must have a lot on his mind.? She said. He started and sat up. ?Sorry.? she said. ?Seems I have a knack for suprising you today.? ?Its alright, at least I didn?t draw on you this time, Have a seat.? He said gesturing to the couch beside him. ?I couldn?t sleep either.? She said. ?Night is when the ghosts come. It?s too peaceful, memories come back and the ones tonight are not good.? ?I know what you mean,? Rhino said. ?I was thinking about the past myself. People dead, moments etched in Crystal clarity in my minds eye. Some I would give anything to erase, others I would kill to re-live. Things I would do different.? ?You remind me of my Dad.? Sandy said. ?Thanks, That makes me feel old? Rhino chuckled. ?I didn?t mean that, I just meant that you make things seem alright, that if I stay close enough, the memories wouldn?t dare to come close. My father used to have me sit close to him by the fire, and all was right in the world.? She said. Rhino held out his blanketed arm and said. ?You scare my ghosts, and I?ll scare yours. Deal?? Sandy snuggled in under is arm, head on is left shoulder. She looked up at him. She IS cute, you know.? Sandy said ?Who?? he responded ?Beth, she told me about you guys, High School, all that stuff? She said ?A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.? Rhino replied, happy that the blush in his cheeks was not visible in the candle light. ?Howard? She said with a giggle ?Why do they call you Rhino? You don?t look like a Howard.? ?College nickname.? Green explained ?I figured that much, what does it mean? Why Rhino?? ?My personality and behavior, Big ornery Horny FU(KER.? Green said. blushing again. The Ghosts were at bay for the time being. In the guttering flame of the candle the two were at peace. Rhino woke at about 5:20 and listened to Sandy?s purring snore. He hated to wake her but they had to hit the trail. He shook her gently. She rubbed his eyes, and said. ?Morning, thanks I needed that.? ?No worries.? He said, ?better than staring at the fire alone. Better go get Rusty. dawn in 10 minutes.? Sandy padded of to the bedroom and then went to get her pack. they made sure they had enough water, and stashed the extra mp5?s at the abandoned house. carrying only M-4?s and Rusty?s SAW. As dawn broke they were 500 yards south of town moving steadily toward their objective, Rhino in the point, Rusty at the tail Sandy in the middle, they moved silent Kept their spacing. About noon they stopped and ate MRE?s Sandy started to refill her canteen from a stream.

?I wouldn?t do that.? Rusty said. ?Unless the Hershey Squirts are your Idea of fun.? ?What do you mean?? she said. ?It looks clean.? ?It is what you can?t see that gets you.? said Rhino. ?OH! I guess I got a bit more to learn.? Sandy said, Putting the Empty canteen back in its cover. ?Here.? Rhino said. ?I have an extra 2 quarts in the top of my pack.? he said holding up the rubber bite valve. They hit the outskirts of Carlinville at about Noon. they tried to scout a way in but decided to stick to the plan and wait until dark to avoid the risk. at dusk they followed the railroad tracks in, staying in the shadows of the buildings. Sandy almost greased a cat that jumped out at her. Rhino tried not to laugh. From their perch in the elevator they had a good view of the supply depot, nothing more than a cluster of 5 ton trucks, full of stuff, and Humvees there were two OP?s one on the tracks, and one on the road where they entered the depot. there were about 3 men at each. they spotted also 2 men with a tripod mounted machine gun on the roof of the Amtrak station. The rest of the men were quartered in a nearby bar. Loud debauchery was going on there all night. Just as the first watch was over and it was Sandy's turn to sleep, she saw something. ?Rhino,? She whispered. ?We got company, NOT H.S. from the south I saw at least 6, heavily armed.? everyone got ready. Rusty set up the saw to play on the roof of the Amtrak station Sandy liked belts together for him. Rhino took out his Grenades and removed the safety wire, Rusty did the same. The door of the elevator opened. the Trio dove for cover. ?Knives!? Rhino whispered. Just the a dark haired man entered the room with an ENORMOUS rifle in his arms. Rusty hit him Low, Rhino Hit him High, Sandy grabbed the rifle as it fell. Split seconds before the Applegate rammed into his ribs, the mans face registered in Rhino?s mind. ?TM??Rhino Whispered. The man knodded. ?Reunions later, I got a job to do.? TM said. ?Can we play too?? Sandy asked handing the .50 back to him. ?Sure, Give me cover while I play Fubar with those Humvees? TM said. ?Want me to take out the MG on the roof?? Rusty asked ?Nah, Dakota?s got that covered, concentrate on the door to the bar, but watchout, Spud?s gonna be pitching a satchel in there in a second, don?t grease him. I light up the Hummies, then we beat feet to the 5 tons and go like Hell!, we?re stealin the whole shootin? match.? Tm said setting up the .50 next to the SAW. ?Lets get it on!!? TM said as he touched off the first round blowing the hood off the first Humvee, and the hat off of Sandy. Then All Hell broke loose. A man through a satchel charge full of C-4 and nails into the front of the bar and ran like hell. ?BLOOOOOOM!!!the whole place went up an AT-4 rocket streaked for the Amtrak Depot detonating ON the MG itself. ?Nice shot. Said Rusty as he began pouring long bursts into the burning tavern, shredding anything that moved. Rhino and Sandy were firing bursts at the 2 OP?s soon their firing stopped. BLOOMM!! the .50 spoke again. ?MOVE!!!? TM roared over the din of gunfire. They bolted down the stairs, stuffing gear into packets and strapping on packs as they went. They hit the road firing. Forming a triangle around Tm, they got to the first 5 ton and climbed in. Rusty got in back and started firing bursts from the SAW at the OP?s. All 5 of the 5-tons roared to life and tore out of town to the south. The firing ceases as they left Carlinville behind. Then they saw it. THe bug like silhouette of a Cobra gunship, hugging the ground gaining on them. ?We got BIG trouble!!? Roared Rhino into the window of the lead truck to TM. ?I see it!!? he replied. ?Lets just hope Rainman does too.?

The Cobra announced its presence by sending a stream of bullets from the gun in its chin turret toward the last truck in the convoy. It sounded like ripping steel as the rounds impacted the bed of the truck, the rear tires burst and a man in the bed was torn to pieces. In the bed of the second truck, a man hefted a long dark tube to his shoulder. ?I can?t get ti to lock on!? the man yelled. ?I gotta get at least a side view so the seeker can see the exhaust!? Rhino grabbed the big .50 caliber rifle that TM had used and loaded a new mag, loaded with Armor-piercing-incindiary-tracer. Taking a prone position he put the cross hairs about 3 feet above where the stream of tracers was originating. ? BLOOOOOMMM!!!!? the tracer streaked toward the chopper and a small explosion bloomed on the front windscreen of the Cobra. Out of reflexes, the pilot banked hard left. The garbled chirping of the Stinger missile on the man?s shoulder turned suddenly to a steady tone. ?Clear backlist!? the man yelled. ?Bangwhooooosh!? the missile streaked into the sky, turning to correct as it saw the heat of the Cobras exhaust. the pilot saw the plume of the launch, but there was nothing he could do. the first small explosion had blinded his gunner and wounded him. He screamed the universal pilots last words as the missile found it?s mark and the warhead exploded. His ?OOHHHH SHIIIIII.......? was cut short as pieces of disintegrating turbine and a cloud of burning fuel engulfed him. The convoy halted, as the Cobra smashed into the ground. Men quickly offloaded as much as they could from the crippled truck. ?Do you have any I.D. on you?? TM asked Rhino. Rhino handed TM his drivers licensee with a quizzical look. TM shoved it into the pocket of the dead mans BDU. ?You are now a Ghost, my friend. H.S. will think you are dead. He was a loss.? TM said pointing to the dead man. ?But his death gives you anonymity, we do this every time we loose a man.? They were under way in 2 minutes, the body of a man I.D.?ed as Howard Green, left for H.S. to find. after another 10 minutes the convoy turned West for another 30 minutes. They trundled down a farm lane to an abandoned farm. Doors opened on the large farm buildings and the trucks disappeared inside. Rhino introduced the other two members of his crew to the group of men they had just shared combat with. ?This is TM, Dakota, Spudgunner (Spud for short), and Rainman.? Rhino said. ?I met them about a year before the attacks. the ladies who opened the doors are Dakette, and Hey Suk (Hope I spelled it right?)? They all shook hands. they set about the job of removing all the items from the trucks and sorting and inventorying them. It was a jackpot! Rifles, ammo, AT-4 missiles, grenades, fuel, MRE?s, night vision goggles, and beer, a whole pallet of Guinness. Later that night, they sat around a small fire and swapped tales of the last few months. Rhino told of the death of his family, the liberation of Waverly, and their plans and hopes. Dakota told how their little group had went on the offensive when the H.S. had come for them, much in the same way they had for Rhino. They had been knocking out convoys, assassinating high ranking officials, sabotage, and gathering intel. ?Who was the man killed in the truck?? Sandy asked. ?Don?t know his name, newcomer. Called himself Gunkid.? TM said. ?Hate to speak ill of the dead but he was kind of an Idiot. Guess he served a purpose after all. He has a name now. Howard Green.? ?So, what are your plans?? Rhino asked. ?We are going to bust an internment camp near Roodhouse, IL. 350 prisoners are hell there. info tells us they are mainly U.S. Army who refused to ?Pacify? American civilians, and their families. Conditions are horrid, torture, murder rape, like a small Auschwitz, right down to the crematory. I know I have no right

to ask, but are you interested in coming along? We could use the manpower.? Dakota said. ?Let us talk about it for a minute.? Rhino said. ?When is the raid?? ?Two Days.? Dakota replied. Rhino and his crew walked off to the corner to talk. ?Do you trust these guys? Rusty asked. ?They look straight up and squared away.? ?Absolutely!? Rhino said. ?I say we do it. Those folks are in prison for doing their duty, we owe them our lives, we must keep the faith.? ?I agree.? said Sandy. ?I say we go, free the camp, arm them and let them join the party. the more the merrier.? ?So, we are agreed.? Rhino said. Heads knodded in agreement. They turned and returned to the fire. ?We are in. It?s your op. Tell us what you need. ?Rhino said. They went about planning the raid, Meanwhile 50 miles away in Springfield, the phone on Captain Alfred Abdull Shabaz?s desk rang. ?Shabaz! (Pause) WHAT!!!!!(Pause) WHAT DO YOU MEAN,ONLY TWO SURVIVORS, BOTH WOUNDED, THERE WERE 50 MEN AT CARLINVILLE!!! (PAUSE) HOW MANY REBELS WERE KILLED? (PAUSE) ONE!!!!!!! WAS THERE ANY IDENTIFICATION? (Pause) HOWARD GREEN!, Well, THERE IS AT LEAST SOME GOOD NEWS.? (he calmed a little) ?Let me know when the Cobra has destroyed the fleeing convoy. (pause) WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE FU(KING COBRA IS DOWN!!! (Pause) FIND THEM! FIND THEM NOW!!? Shabaz slammed the phone down. .?Get me Chief Wilkins in Virden.? Shabaz said, punching the intercom button on his phone ?Chief, I thought you should know that the insurgent Howard green was killed South of Carlinville tonight. (pause) Yes, you can tell your men that it is confirmed, they can relax a bit. By the way keep your eyes open for any 5-ton trucks traveling without papers. (pause) no they are currently, um.... misplaced.? Soon the pot that had simmered for months would boil over, Howard Green was dead, only a Ghost named Rhino remained. A group of determined Americans planned to follow the motto of the Special Forces ?De Opresso Liber? They were going to free the oppressed. They were going to keep the faith