Forgotten Forbidden America:: Patriots Reborn (9 page)

“Damn,” Gerald said, looking around. “That I would like to see. I don’t think you can choke a man with something that small.” Adam and Alex snickered behind him. “What are lover boy and Hulk doing? We really need to book.”

“I said the same fucking thing,” Michelle said, scanning around.

Gerald looked at the vehicles parked all around the parking lot, and he found the government SUV. “That’s the one Nelson wants,” he said, nodding.

“Old man, I saw it when we pulled in.”

“I am Obi Wan Kenobi, and you will address me as such,” Gerald huffed through his balaclava.

“Coming out,” Nelson said over the radio.

“The Millennium Falcon is ready to haul ass; now move it before Princess Leia gets pissed,” Gerald said, keying his radio.

Matt and Nelson came out the side door with a man wearing a hood between them. They carried him to the back of the Bronco and opened the hatch, tossing him inside. Matt took the duffel bag off his shoulder and tossed it on top of the man.

Gerald cringed, hearing the
thud
as the bag landed on the man. He didn’t know what was in that bag, but Gerald knew his Bronco bounced more with the bag than when the man was thrown in. Nelson walked to the front of the Bronco and tossed a set of keys to Michelle.

“You can drive since you think I drive like a bat out of hell,” Nelson said as Matt climbed in the passenger seat of the Bronco.

Hearing cars pull in the parking lot, Nelson and Michelle both spun around to see two sheriff patrol cars pull in. “First up!” Nelson yelled, raising his AR. His rifle was only semi auto, but as fast as Nelson was pulling the trigger, the coughs of the suppressor sounded like his gun was on full auto. Gerald jumped out as Nelson charged the two patrol cars with Michelle beside him.

Nelson shot one car three times then quickly aimed at the other, shooting three times then moving his gun back and forth to send a lot of hate into the patrol cars. “Empty!” Nelson called as Michelle started firing just like Nelson had at the two patrol cars.

Gerald stopped and watched the choreographed dance of death the two were doing as they moved toward the two patrol cars. Nelson shoved a loaded mag in as Michelle called empty, and he started shooting into the cars, which now looked like Swiss cheese.

“Taking right!” Michelle called out, moving to the patrol car on the right, and started shooting into it as Nelson dropped his magazine, and she swung over, sending three rounds through the front window of the patrol car on the left that Nelson was approaching.

When Michelle swung back to her car, Nelson continued shooting into his car until he was at the passenger window. He stopped, seeing two bullet-riddled bodies in the front seat. “Left clear!” he called out, changing magazines.

“Right clear!” Michelle called out, not believing what was in the front seat of her target had ever been human.

“Clearing field, cover!” Nelson called out as he moved back toward the Bronco, picking up empty magazines.

“Cover up,” Michelle said, walking backwards and looking out over the parking lot.

“They have done that more than a few goddamn times,” Gerald said, looking through the Bronco at Matt standing on the other side.

“I want to be like them when I grow up,” Matt said, stunned, as they walked up.

“We need to make the jump to hyperspace, Chewy,” Nelson said, patting Matt’s chest as he walked by.

Spinning around, Matt shouted, “I’ll be damned if I’m going to be referred to as a walking carpet!”

“Get in, Chewy,” Gerald chuckled as Michelle trotted over to the SUV, hitting the unlock button.

Nelson pulled out the jammer Nancy gave them and turned it on. “Hope it works,” he said, opening the door.

Michelle climbed in, shutting her door and hissing as the hot barrel touched her on the leg, making her pants smoke. “We can dump it before we get close to home and get the stuff out,” she said, starting the SUV up. She pulled out, following Gerald north, and felt the massive Suburban responding sluggishly. “What the hell is wrong with this piece of crap? It handles like a pregnant whale.”

“Baby, it’s armored,” Nelson laughed, and he turned around, looking in the back. “Holy fuck me with a tampon twister!” he screamed, making Michelle yank the wheel, sending the vehicle almost off the road.

“What damn it!” she shouted as Nelson started climbing back between the seats, giggling. Glancing at the rear view mirror, Michelle couldn’t see much around Nelson as he climbed back. “Nelson!”

“It’s an M134!” Nelson shouted from the rear of the Suburban.

Shocked, Michelle turned to look. “What? A mini gun?” She saw the back of the mini gun as Nelson ran his hands over the controls. “What the fuck do they need a fucking Gatling gun in an SUV for?”

“Who cares? It’s ours now.” Nelson grinned as Michelle turned around.

“Hey, why are you driving all over the road? We are about to hit small dirt roads that you can’t do that on,” Gerald called over the radio.

Michelle pressed her radio. “I thought this thing was supposed to jam radio signals.”

“Only cell and sat phones, Leia,” Gerald called back. “Now, what’s wrong?”

“Nelson found an M134 in the back of the Suburban,” Michelle called back.

She watched the brakes lock up on the Bronco and smoke come from the tires at it skidded to a halt. The driver’s door shot open, and Gerald ran back and tried to open the door behind Michelle. “Unlock the goddamn door!”

Michelle hit the unlock button, and Gerald stuck his head in, almost drooling. “Gerald, we need to move.”

“What the hell do they have this for?” Gerald shouted.

“We can ask when we get home,” Michelle said. “I’m leaving.”

Gerald slammed the door and ran back to his vehicle as Michelle heard a pneumatic hiss behind her. She turned to see the turret the mini gun was mounted to extend up through the roof hatch. “Find me a target!” Nelson yelled out.

“Nelson, lower that back inside!”

Relaxing when she saw the turret drop down and the roof hatch close, Michelle sighed, wishing Gerald would move faster. The trip to Winona usually took them less than half an hour, but taking small back roads, it took over an hour.

“Home, flock is returning,” Gerald called on the radio when they had pulled onto their road but were still five miles away.

“Flock, get the doc here. Little one is having trouble breathing,” Nellie called back over the radio.

Michelle stomped her foot on the gas and passed Gerald in the ditch, bouncing Nelson all over the back. “Tell her Momma’s coming!” Michelle screamed into the radio when she got the SUV to stop fishtailing over the dirt road.

Chapter Five

Michelle flew into the front yard, stomping on the brakes and sending up a cloud of dust. She had the Suburban in park and was out of the door before it came to a complete stop. Nelson kicked open the back door and fell on his face but jumped up in a sprint for the house only to see Michelle almost ripping the front door off.

Michelle ran in and found Olivia sitting in Nellie’s lap with her mask on to her nebulizer machine. The vapor from the medication swirled around in the mask. “I tried the puffer, but it wasn’t doing anything,” Nellie said as Michelle took off her AR and laid it on the floor. “We bought a nebulizer to keep in the house for her and kept some medications you sent out when she stayed with us.”

Michelle knelt beside Olivia and could hear the wheezing as she fought to breathe. “It’s okay, baby, Momma’s here,” she said, touching Olivia’s face.

“Hey, Mommy.” Olivia smiled feebly.

“How many treatments have you given?”

“This is the second on the machine,” Nellie said as Michelle took Olivia’s pulse, and Nelson burst through the door.

“Daddy!” Olivia cried weakly but smiled a little stronger.

“Oh, he gets a cheer, but I only get, ‘Hey, Mommy.’” Michelle smiled and kissed Olivia’s forehead. “Nelson, go get my bag.”

The sound of stomping feet sounded as Nelson ran through the house and out the back door. “It just hit her at once,” Bernard said, kneeling down on the other side of Nellie and rubbing Olivia’s head. “She was running around then suddenly stopped and clutched her chest, trying to breathe.”

Michelle looked up to see tears running down Bernard’s face. “It happens, and you can’t predict them,” Michelle said and looked up at Nellie to see her face was tear-streaked and blotchy. “You didn’t do anything wrong; you saved her life by putting her on the nebulizer.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Bernard asked in a pleading voice as he looked over at Michelle.

Michelle nodded as she smiled. “Yes, and I’m going to show you what to do if this happens again.”

“Hold on a second,” Bernard said as he got up and left. The back door slammed as Nelson came running and skidded to a halt holding out a large gym bag.

“Thank you,” Michelle said, taking the bag. She set it on the floor as Bernard came back wearing reading glasses and carrying a notebook and a pen. He started writing as Michelle started pouring more medication in the nebulizer then diluted it with saline to make the treatment last longer. She held up a small vial and pulled out a syringe as Bernard wrote the name of the medication down.

“I don’t want a shot,” Olivia whined.

“I don’t remember asking,” Michelle said, drawing up the steroid.

“Lil bit, you be brave, and if you’re good, I’ll take you and Brittney on a horseback ride,” Bernard said, glancing up from his writing.

“Okay,” Olivia moaned between short breaths.

“Only when she can,” Nellie snapped, wiping tears off her face.

“Well, I know that, woman,” Bernard said, still writing.

“I better be able to read that chicken scratch, Bernard,” Nellie said, hugging Olivia as Michelle rolled up Olivia’s sleeve.

Lifting his head, Bernard looked over his reading glasses at Nellie. “You’ve never had a problem reading my writing before.”

“Because I make you tell me what it says, and I think you are just making it up.”

“Ow,” Olivia said as Michelle gave her a shot.

“Oh it’s okay, baby,” Nellie said, rocking Olivia.

Michelle recapped the needle and looked around. “Where are the rest of the kids?”

“Downstairs with Nancy,” Bernard said, finishing his notes. “Nancy took them down there so they wouldn’t make Olivia want to get up and move.”

“For someone who doesn’t have kids, Nancy sure knows a lot about them,” Michelle said and pulled out a stethoscope to listen to Olivia’s chest.

Thumping on the porch made everyone turn to see Gerald run in with Matt, Alex, and Adam behind him. “Michelle, you passed me in a ditch doing seventy; are you insane!” Gerald shouted.

Bernard stood up. “That’ll be enough out of you,” he growled. “I will get my belt.”

Gerald took a step back. “Bernard, she could’ve got killed. She passed me so fast I felt like I was going backwards.”

“You shouldn’t have been driving so damn slow,” Bernard said and looked at the two boys. “Adam, Alex, where’s your mom and dad? Where’s Tim and Carla?”

When he saw the tears well up in their eyes, Bernard walked over to the boys and they wrapped their arms around him. “They took them away!” Adam yelled as he buried his face in Bernard’s belly.

Nelson moved over and whispered in Bernard’s ear, and everyone saw Bernard’s face turn purple. “That’s okay, boys, you will stay here with us,” Bernard said, looking down at them.

“Nellie, let me have her,” Michelle said as she packed her bag up. She took off her vest then held out her hands. “Those boys need you now,” Michelle said, leaning over to take Olivia and whisper in Nellie’s ear.

“Lil bit, I won’t be far. You call me if you need me,” Nellie said, handing over Olivia. Nellie and Bernard led the boys into the kitchen as Nancy brought the rest of the kids up from the basement. Gerald took off and grabbed Devin.

As everyone but Nelson went to the kitchen, Michelle sat down with Olivia in her lap. Nelson knelt beside them and rubbed Olivia’s face. “What do you need me to do, baby?” he asked, looking away from Olivia.

“Olivia, cover your ears,” Michelle said, and Olivia reached up and covered her ears, making Nelson wonder what in the hell he had done. When Olivia’s hands were over her ears, Michelle glared at him. “Nelson, I want you to get that piece of shit out of the Bronco and take him to his friends. By sundown, I want to know every fucking thing they know. If they cheated in kindergarten or had sex with an animal, I want to know.”

Nelson looked at his watch. “Baby, it’s one o’clock. Can I have a little more time? There are five of them.”

With a dead face, she just looked at him. “I don’t care. Sunset.”

Leaning over, Nelson kissed her then kissed Olivia on the head. “I’ll do my best, but don’t be mad if I don’t get their early childhood out of them before sunset.”

Nelson stopped in the kitchen on the way out. “Matt, I need you for a few minutes,” he said, heading for the back door.

Gerald looked up as Matt walked out. “Nancy, will you go and disarm all the trackers on that Suburban outside?”

“Sure,” Nancy said, getting up and handing Mike to Ashley. “Come on, Gavin. I’ll show you how to do it.” Gavin jumped up and followed her outside.

An hour later, Michelle laid a sleeping Olivia on the couch still on the nebulizer but breathing much better. She walked in to find Nellie preparing supper with Brittney “helping.” In the corner, Devin and Mike were in their swings rocking back and forth, sound asleep. “Where is everyone?” Michelle asked, picking up a small carrot off the counter, and then tossed it in her mouth.

“Bernard is upstairs with Adam and Alex, getting them a room ready. Ashley is downstairs with Nancy and Gavin as they work on the computer things. Matt and Gerald are out with Nelson,” Nellie said, putting a pan in the oven. “Is Lil Bit better?”

“Much, but she will be tired for the next few days,” Michelle said, moving to the back door. “When Bernard comes down with the boys, tell him to go in the container with the number 3 painted on the door behind our cabin. It’s filled with clothes, shoes, boots, underwear, and toiletries. Tell Bernard to get them some clothes and stuff; he knows the combination. It’s the same as all of our locks.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” Nellie said, walking over and hugging her.

“Will you keep an ear out for Olivia? I’m going to check on Nelson.”

“You go ahead,” Nellie said, patting her cheek. “You just remind Nelson he better save me some,” Nellie said with her face turning hard.

“I’ll tell him, and Nellie, make sure the doors stay closed, and keep the kids inside,” Michelle said as she headed to the front door. She checked on Olivia and then walked out. She stopped and marveled at the berm again then walked through the gate, rounding the berm heading for the barn. When she walked in the front, she heard grunting noises coming from the back.

Weaving around the equipment and horse stalls, she found Gerald watching Nelson tase one of the prisoners. Matt picked the limp man up, put him in a metal folding chair, and then sat at a long woodworking table. Michelle looked down the table and saw the other four were sitting at the table with hoods over their heads. Their hands were laid out on the table, and a metal band was over each wrist. On each side of the metal band a long screw was securing it to the table.

When Gerald saw Michelle walk up beside him, he asked, “I’m scared to ask, but what the hell is he doing?”

“This is what he did in Iraq when some of our guys were taken. He knows it works. He tried waterboarding, but as you know, Nelson isn’t one for patience.”

“So what the hell is he doing?” Gerald asked again as Nelson laid a metal band over the man’s right wrist and put a three-inch-long wood screw in a hole on one end. Grabbing a cordless drill, Nelson put the bit on the screw, and with a whine, the drill drove the screw into the table.

Then Nelson pulled out another screw, put it in the hole on the other side of the band, and drilled it into the table, trapping the man’s wrist under the metal band. “Just watch; you’ll understand,” Michelle said with a grin. “Nelson knows it’s all about theatrics.”

When Nelson had the man’s left hand secured to the table, he walked down the row, taking off their hoods. “He’s used the Taser so much, we had to replace the batteries,” Gerald said, shaking his head.

“He’s always wanted to tase someone,” Michelle said as Matt came over, wiping his face off.

“If he brings the calf back in, I’m heading inside,” Matt said as Nelson picked up a bag, pulling out a digital recorder and a large object with clamps.

“Gentlemen, I want to thank you for being here today,” Nelson said, putting the bag on the table and pulling out a dozen headphones. “I just want you to know if you talk and tell the truth, this day won’t suck that bad.”

They all started mumbling through the duct tape over their mouths, and Nelson raised his hands. “Now, no need to get excited; everyone gets to play in the game today,” he said, and they all shut up, staring at him with wide eyes. “I’m going to talk to each of you while the others have on headphones with music blaring so they can’t hear the answers. Those that lie have bad things happen,” Nelson said, carrying the bag with him as he walked away then set it down.

Everyone heard the clank of metal as the bag hit the floor. “Toys,” Nelson grinned, bending over and pulling out a hammer and two 60 penny nails. Matt sucked in a breath, looking at the eighteen-inch-long nails.

“Holy shit! I didn’t know they made nails that big. The shaft looks the same size as a dime,” Matt said as Nelson walked back to the table.

“Since mister postman really can’t tell me much, I’m going to show you the bad things that happen to the losers of today’s game,” Nelson said, setting the two long nails on the table in front of the postman, who was crying. “Be brave for your friends. You sat beside them as they hurt Americans, so you must show them how to be brave,” Nelson said, picking up a nail and placing the tip over the back of the postman’s right hand.

Screaming under the duct tape, the postman tried to move his hand, but with the metal band over his wrist, the best he could do was wiggle it a little side to side. “Just warning you, if you move it, I’m likely to go through bone, and that would really suck for you,” Nelson said and the postman stopped wiggling his hand and closed his eyes.

Raising the hammer above his head, the other four watched with wide eyes and Nelson brought the hammer down, driving the giant nail through postman’s hand into the wood table. The postman screamed the loudest under the duct tape as the others tried to stand as Nelson drove the nail through the table, leaving only three inches sticking out the back of the postman’s hand.

“I see he already belted them to the chairs,” Michelle nodded. “He forgot that last time.”

Gerald nodded. “Yeah, and he screwed the chairs to the floor.”

“Yeah, he forgot that the time before,” Michelle laughed. “Nelson was lucky he had the two nailed to a really big table, or they would’ve gotten away.”

Matt slowly turned around. “That’s really not funny.”

“Well, if you had been there, you would’ve thought so,” Michelle laughed. “Nelson learned the first time how he had to screw the bands on the wrist down. I let him use me so he would get that part right; we were on a time table.”

“You let him do that to you?” Matt gasped.

“Matt, he didn’t drive a nail through my hand. I just let him use my small wrist to find out how to use those metal fasteners to hold someone’s wrist down. If you look close, you see the band actually bends around the wrist, and the screw is driven in at an angle under the wrist. The only way to get out is to pull your hand off. We did have one do that when Nelson got pissed and brought out a blow torch,” Michelle admitted with a long face.

Matt took a step back. “You watched a man pull his own hand off?”