Enemy Lines (3 page)

"Aren't you supposed to look at it?" Connor asked.

"It's great." She quipped without looking and pushed open the heavy door to move on.

~ ~ ~

Lawton got out of the shower, wrapped herself in a white towel, and came out into the living room. Connor saw her approach and quickly turned away.

God damn it, woman!
He wanted to shout. He was still a man! And she was all women!

"I suggest you shower and get to sleep. We'll be starting early in the morning." She walked into the kitchen and took out a glass and a bottle that was filled with amber liquid.

"Alcohol?" Connor asked. Alcohol was another restricted item on the Sovereignty’s list. He had never tried it and had to destroy several homemade distilleries that had been found in the Selections. If people ever got alcohol, it had to be given as a gift from the Sovereignty. That meant most people never had it.

"Sleep with one eye open, asshole." Lawton threw before she slammed her bedroom door.

She bolt locked it. She had installed it that morning after her run. She laid her towel on the floor of her room and sat with her feet together and her back straight. She breathed for a moment then poured herself a shot of the homemade whiskey, tilted her head back and swallowed. It burned her throat on the way down and she was grateful for the distraction. She closed her eyes and hummed ever so softly.

The cool air chilled her naked skin. Unless she changed this SOB's mind, her life was as good as over. She couldn't get into her quiet place where she often found her answers. She was too full of fury and other powerful negative emotions: anger, fear, despair, and frustration. None of those would serve her well.

She reached over and gripped the glass and bottle and poured herself another, which she quickly drank. The biting heat washed through her veins. It helped slow her breathing and calmed the panic. She violently shoved away the questions that had plagued her all day - How would she save all of these people? And how would she save herself? No answers had surfaced. They only tortured her with helplessness.

Third shot down and she felt the heat
immediately swell between her legs.
It would probably clear my head
, she thought. She pulled the tangles gently from her long damp hair with her fingers. She felt drops from the waterfall onto her back. She rubbed her neck and stretched the muscles by leaning her head from side to side. She pulled a long breath in through her nose, held it, and then slowly exhaled from her mouth.

She trailed the fingertips of both her hands lightly across her jaw, down her throat, then fluttered them over her collarbone until she came to the soft curve of her breasts. She massaged them both and let her fingers pull and pinch her tender nipples. As they became erect she used the palms of her hands to crush both breasts against her as if she were being covered by a man's strong chest.

She lifted herself up to the bed, lay back, and spread her legs. She found her warm sensitive spot with her fingers and teased herself until she moaned softly and involuntarily bent her knees. She brought her fingers to her lips and licked them, then pressed the moist heat onto her little bundle of nerves that now ached for complete attention. She was so close, she let her mind drift and enjoy the sensations engulfing her needful body.

She exploded over her hands and rode out the rush, but at the very last moment she saw Connor's face in her mind and his deep blue eyes. What a way to ruin an orgasm! She thought. There is nothing behind those eyes. She rolled over and fell asleep clutching her pillow to her chest for comfort.

Day 6

"Get out of bed… it's time." Lawton kicked the metal frame of Connor's cot with her combat boot. Connor opened his eyes. She was wearing her running shorts and a skin hugging blue tank top. "We are going for a run."

Connor nodded and reached under the bed for the shorts and shirt she had supplied him with yesterday. He swung his feet over the side and noticed she was staring at him.

"Ma'am?" Connor asked. He really wanted to scream,
WHAT?

"Just trying to figure you out, Connor." She replied.

Connor nodded and stood holding his clothes over his morning erection and got himself into the bathroom. He started to wash his hands and face but stopped cold when he realized the soap smelled like her. This was the first time he was ever ordered to be this intimate with any female - especially a target. He shoved the soap roughly back in it's tray, dressed quickly, and went back out to join her.

"Is five k good for you?" Lawton suggested.

"Fine, Ma'am." He responded.

"We'll be running one of the most important ops in our young lives in a few short days - how about dropping the Ma'am and calling me Lawton."

Connor wondered what kind of trick it was, but said, "Okay… Lawton."

"See," she said. "That's better already. If you have any questions feel free to ask me."

His brow creased. So today she was going to be congenial? He tried to drop the thought. It didn't matter.

Lawton set the pace and Connor stayed by her side. Her mahogany red brown hair was pulled back into a loose
ponytail; her lean body was cut with muscular lines and sensuous curves. Her legs were strong. She was all soldier and yet very feminine.

After about two miles through the tunnels, she hauled up a flight of steps that were drenched with sunlight. When they came to the top, she stopped. The stairwell had opened into an expanse of green grass the size of a football field. The field was fully enclosed by a wide building constructed with massive windows. At least fifty children were running around screaming and laughing chasing a soccer ball.

"This is one of five schools for young children in Old Manhattan. Each school has between fifty to one hundred students. That is almost five hundred children in the elementary age category alone." Lawton looked out over the field. "Most of these children were rescued from Kain's Selections. Many were reunited with their families."

Lawton looked over at Connor. "Come on," she said and ran into the crowd of playing kids. "I'm on the red team Connor, get over there with the blue! I'm sure they could use your coaching skills!"

A team of twenty-five kids stared up at Connor for direction. He stared down with his jaw unhinged.

One of the teachers who stood on the
sidelines shouted, "Go for it!" and smiled at him.

He looked over and saw Lawton running a drill with her group.

"Let's kick some red team tail." Was the only thing Connor could think of to say. All the kids laughed. He facilitated passes and sprints, and led the children in some exercises.

A moment later, a teacher came to the middle of the field and blew a whistle.

"Centers!" She called.

Two young children faced off and the two teams fought for control of the ball. But this wasn't the
cutthroat, winner-takes-all game. The kids were laughing and playing more for the joy than competition. Connor couldn't remember the last time he laughed.

Lawton kicked the ball into the air and it bounced off his shoulder. He had been caught completely off guard. All of the children were laughing, even Lawton smiled at them brightly.

Connor felt the corners of his mouth tug up.

"Good game guys!" Lawton called out. "Keep the peace!"

"Come on," she said to Connor and set another jogging pace.

"What is "Keep the Peace"?"

"Our children are being taught to be peacekeepers. This generation - our generation are fighters. If we do our job right, we can make it so that the future generations have life without war, without dictators, without Selections… Keep the Peace is the Rebel slogan."

Keep the Peace
- Noah Connor rolled these three small words around in his mind like tumbling stones. He felt a burning he couldn't explain and couldn't extinguish.
Damn you, Lawton!
He raged inside. These children would have no chance for any world of peace. They would be separated from their parents again and distributed through far away Selections to be raised as workers. They would become just like he had - a pawn on Kain's chessboard.

Day 5

The next morning, he put Emily's face in the forefront of his thoughts and ran hard, but Emily's face kept morphing into the face of the girl from the chow hall.

They ran a new way today and after a few miles, came to a grouping of small divided sections in the tunnels.

"Family homes," Lawton told him. "We have a population of 8,000. Our military in this territory are over 2,200 strong. If this place falls, who do you think will suffer the most?"

Before Connor had the chance to answer, she stopped abruptly in front of a door and knocked hard. She was completely out of breath. A woman with a child on her hip answered.

"Hey," Lawton started. "My friend and I have been running for miles, would you please spare some water?"

"Who is it dear?" called a woman's voice in the home.

"I don't know, Mama." The woman called back. "Are you soldiers?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes,"

"Soldiers!" The older woman heard and came to stand in the doorway. She had a bright smile and long gray hair. "Baby, go get them some water."

"I'll be right back," the young woman replied and slipped into the house.

"Would you like to come in and rest?" The older woman offered.

"Thank you, but we are in training." Lawton told her.

"Well I am so glad you stopped by. I don't get out much now because of my health but I am originally from Old Connecticut. Because of you Rebel soldiers, I was reunited with my daughter and granddaughter who had been taken to a Selection in Old Maine - I never thought I'd see them again." Tears fell from the old woman's eyes. "Thank you both so much." She kissed Lawton's cheek, then Connors.

The younger woman came back with two jugs. "Take them please and drink in good health."

Lawton answered.
"May your kindness be returned.”

Lawton and Connor walked away.

"Poison?" Connor asked with a cocked eyebrow as they got further from the door.

Lawton laughed and exchanged her jug with his and guzzled. "We have almost no crime here. We are all working toward peace, mutual respect, and freedom. Do you know what freedom tastes like, Connor?"

He didn't answer. He just drank from the water jug. He had no fucking idea what freedom tasted like.

Connor didn't sleep well. His dreams held him hostage. He and Emily were living in one of the small subway tunnel homes. They were happy, safe, and confident. Then the
Sovereignty soldier came. Emily started to cry. He tried to reassure her he would make everything okay, but the soldiers ripped her from his arms and they were herded into separate directions.

Noah woke with a scream on his lips. His eyes adjusted. He was on the cot in Lawton's apartment. He laid in the dark, staring up toward the ceiling until morning.

Day 4

Lawton, Connor, Webb, and thirty other soldiers - mainly commanders and officers - pored over the plans for the ops they would carry out in five days.

There was the potential for a lot of loss, Connor thoug
ht, but also the strong possibility of a victory. The Northeast Division would ride by night into the Midwest Territories and join forces with the Midwest Division. They had already reclaimed several Selections there and the civilians were safeguarded in the underground subway tunnels of Old Chicago - just as they were here in Old Manhattan. The plan was to finish breaking the Sov hold on the six remaining heavily guarded and fortified Selections that controlled the meat raising animals for the Sov. If the Rebels pulled it off, they would take control of the entire Midwest Territory.

Connor's mind went to his orders - to
assassinate Lawton in the thick of the confusion. Even with Webb setting her up to take a traitor's fall, the Sovereignty wasn't convinced she couldn't talk her way out of it. No, his officials had decided, it was better for her to die. Connor was to radio Sovereignty officials with the location of MRH, and the Northeast underground facilities.

When Connor tuned back in, Webb was going on about
camaraderie, sacrifice, and victory. Connor had the urge to knock out Webb's jaw.

Lawton watched Connor's expression for any hint of humanity. She was sorely disappointed. And Webb wouldn't shut the fuck up! They had their orders, did they really have to sit here and be served Webb's shit on toast?

When they were finally dismissed, Lawton and Connor walked through the tunnel.

"It's lunchtime, but I'm not hungry."

"I'm not either." Connor replied.

"Guess too much shit spoils the appetite," Lawton quipped. "Let's go shoot. Today, I'll imagine
its Webb."

"Why are you being nice to me now?" Connor snapped.

"Nice? No. Civil, may be. I hate your fucking guts… but I wanted you to know what defines the Rebellion and the Territories. You have a right to know whom you are going to murder and displace." She said.

"If this is what you think I'm doing here, then why don't you just kill me yourself - and get it over with?" Connor challenged.

"Yeah… then I'm still the bad guy. See, the Rebel officials think you're the greatest thing since Christmas… with your knowledge of the Sov and it's home base we'll be able to toss ole Kain right off his throne. You're the Messiah to these people Connor. Your defection and intel could tilt the entire war in our favor. Might even put an end to the fighting. But you see…" Lawton leaned in close to Connor's ear. "I'm not fooled. I know you're the devil." She pulled back and put her pointer finger to her lips and breathed, "Shh."

The rest of the day was full: they sparred hand to hand with other soldiers,
practiced at the shooting range, and ran simulated ops with laser tag guns.

After dinner at the chow hall and showers they were both physically and emotionally exhausted. The morning would usher in day three and both wondered what the outcome would be.