Attack and Response - 6. Big Bullets and Newbies

Rednecks 0, High Tech 1

Day Ten

Jap, Jacky, Gerry and Kyle, along with the James brothers were eating lunch after spending the last four hours on the 1,000 meter rifle range. The James brothers were the spotters for Jap and Jacky as well as being part of the security detail for the two snipers when they were deployed. After being spotters and part of the security detail for so long, both of the James Boys felt comfortable in the positions they were assigned to. Neither boy had wanted to take an upgrade as a sniper when it was offered to them, believing that they could do more to help the Unit in their current jobs. Jap, Jacky and the James Boys still had a hard time believing that Gerry and Kyle were doing so well with the Barretts they'd been so recently introduced to. Especially Gerry. He seemed to get better with each shot he fired, while his groups were still about a foot in diameter, they were consistent with groups that men with much more experience were shooting.

As they sat around the table in the mess trailer, David Alleyn and Justyn Tyme walked up to them. After saying hi to everyone Justyn turned to Jap, Jacky and the James Brothers and said;"After you guys eat, James and Matt want to talk to you in the Admin Trailer."

Jap asked;"What's he want, it's not my fault, I didn't do anything."

Justyn, David and the other boys at the table laughed;"I got no idea what they want, it probably is your fault, and you probably did do something to piss someone off."

Jap blushed as everyone else at the table laughed along with Justyn. When everyone was finished laughing at him he said;"Aww fuck you guys, I don't gotta take this shit."

Gerry looked at his brother and whispered;"Kyle, he said the 'F' and the 'S' word."

Once again everyone laughed. Jap turned red and stood up, saying;"Aww . .'fudge' I'm done eating. Let’s go see what they want."

As the others were finished eating also, they all stood up and gathered the debris from their meal and were about to take it to the scullery when Jacky turned to Kyle and said;"Why don't you and Gerry head on over to the trailer, we'll come get you after we see James and Matt?"

Kyle nodded and he led his brother out of the mess trailer after dumping their trays and eating utensils at the scullery. Jap turned to Jacky and the James brothers and with a slightly worried expression on his face asked;"What da ya think they want with us, I can't think of anything I've done wrong, can you?"

Jacky shook his head;"Nope, I can't think of a thing. I guess the only way we're gonna find out is go and see them."

Entering the Admin Trailer, Jap was the first to see James and Matt at the other end of the main room. They were involved in a quiet conversation with Doctor Davidson, Bucky Trenton, Will Jarmon and Joe Barnes. Still wondering what was going on, the four boys moved up to the table the men were using and waited to be noticed rather than butting in. Bucky was the first to see them standing near the table and greeted them;"Good afternoon boys, thanks for coming so quickly. We have something we want you to do. It’s new and may cause you some discomfort, but it'll greatly enhance your capabilities during the upcoming operation." Turning to Doctor Davidson he said;"Doc, why don't you take it from here, you've already accomplished the operation on James and Matt and you're more familiar with what needs to be done."

For the first time since entering the trailer, the four boys looked at James and Matt closely. They both looked okay, neither one of them seemed to be in pain or discomfort. Looking back at the doctor, they waited for him to speak. Doctor Davidson picked up a small, square plastic box about the same size and type as an SD Flashcard that's used in digital cameras came in. After opening the lid of the case, he showed it to the four boys. Looking closely; they saw a small block, about one centimeter square by two millimeters thick, that looked like black plastic with dozens of hair-fine gold wires coming out of each side of the square. In each corner of the square, they saw a very small hole, a total of four. Other than that, they were smooth and devoid of any markings or impressions. "These are what we call 'mastoid implants', they allow the user the ability to communicate over long distances, virtually anywhere in the world, with others equipped with them or to a central control station. They're completely secure and non-traceable. They were developed by one of Evan's companies located in the 'Silicon Valley' out in California. One of his electronics engineers is a Science Fiction reader. Back in the 80's, a writer named Dean Ing wrote three or four books where the hero had an implant like this. The engineer, worked with several scientists for over four years before they were able to make the first one work, it was almost three times bigger than this one. The difference between the hero’s implant in Ing's books and this one is that this one doesn't have a High Explosive charge in it. Otherwise, they're pretty much alike, except these are more capable and they work off the body's built in electrical system. According to Evan, this little piece of electronics cost him a hundred and sixty thousand dollars . . . and change."

Jap looked at the MI and spoke without taking his eyes off it;"How can something that small transmit and receive over the distance you told us about, I mean even our back pack radios are only good for relatively short distances?"

Doctor Davidson looked at Jap and wondered why he was surprised the boy would ask that particular question. He knew the boy had a genius level I.Q. but he'd let himself forget how quick he actually was. Smiling at Jap he responded with;"I have no idea Jap, the secret to how it works is way beyond my level of understanding . . . and paygrade. According to Evan, only a few scientists and engineers, all of whom are employed by 'Falconberg Industries', understand the concepts that enable them to work."

Jacky looked closely at the small piece of electronics before asking;"What's with the tiny holes in the corners?"

Doctor Davidson set the device on the table and picked up a thin loose leaf binder and opened it to a page that had a 'yellow sticky' attached to the top of it. Turning it so that both boys could see it he pointed at the drawing of a man's head. Just behind the ear was a dotted line square. “What we need to do is cut a flap of skin about an inch square behind the ear; we’ll then place this in the cavity and using gold screws, attach the device to the mastoid bone. Prior to insertion, the side of the device coming in contact with the bone will have a super strong adhesive applied to it to make sure it's secure and to fill in any void spaces between it and the bone. After that, it's a simple matter to close the flap and suture it back in place. The whole operation takes about forty five minutes and will be done using a general anesthetic. Barring any complications, the wound created by the surgery will heal completely within four or five days. To aid the healing, we'll administer a cocktail of vitamins and other drugs known to promote rapid healing. The worst you'll feel will be a slight headache following the surgery and tenderness behind the ear for a few days." The Doctor paused to get his thoughts in order;"According to what the scientists who developed it told us, the unit will be 'live' as soon as it's installed, but not useable by the user until it's been activated externally. It contains a new type of rechargeable battery, kind of 'Matrixesque' that was developed using nano-technology. As I said earlier; the battery uses the body's own electrical system to recharge itself. The studies they've been conducting all point to a useful working life of between one hundred to one hundred and fifteen years for the battery and unit."

Jap looked the doctor in the eyes as he asked;"Are you gonna take it out after the operation, or can we keep it?"

James, as well as the other adults at the table smiled;"We'll either remove it at your request or you can keep it and have the ability to use it for the rest of your life to communicate with anyone who has one installed. If you decide to keep it, you'll also be able to contact a 'Snoopy Control Station' and ask for assistance 24/7, no matter where you are in the world."

"Who else is gonna be getting them?" Jacky asked.

Matt spoke for the first time;"We've already got ours and so do most of the 'Jersey Boys.' We plan on equipping all of the snipers and their security teams, as well as the medical teams and some of the ground support team members with them. Just about all the people going in will get them, maybe more, Mr. Trenton, Mr. Wilcott and Mr. Henderson are thinking about getting the full 'package'. You guys, as well as most of the other snipers will get the full 'package' like all the adults: units with five discrete channels." Matt thought for a few seconds before continuing;"If Gerry goes, we plan on giving him a device with only two channels, we think it would be better if he wasn't exposed to all the chatter of the other three channels. Most of the rest of the people will only have three channels, but the snipers, their security teams and the command and control group, minus Gerry, will all have the five channel units."

Jap looked at his lover and smiled. Jacky knowing exactly what his little redheaded boyfriend was thinking nodded and turned back to Doctor Davidson. "When do you want to install them?" He asked the doctor.

The adults let out a pent up breath, the Doctor smiled at the large teenager and looked at his watch;"If you two are ready, we can start the procedure in about thirty minutes and it'll be over in about two hours after that."

Jap looking a little nervous, but nodded his head and said;"Okay, let's do it"

Three hours later, Jap and Jacky were lying in beds located in the hospital ward of the dispensary recovering from their operations; still a little groggy from the general anesthetic they were given. They'd been told that they would be spending the night under observation just in case there were any complications from the procedure they'd just undergone. Another three hours had passed when the James Brothers were rolled into the ward on gurneys and placed in beds alongside Jap and Jacky. Just as Jap and Jacky had been groggy from the general anesthetic they had been given before the operation, the James Brothers were also. Neither one them was in pain, but both of them seemed to be just south of 'La La Land.' The general anesthetic Jap and Jacky had been given had long since worn off and the both of them were, while not in pain, at least very uncomfortable. Without looking at Jacky, Jap said;"I wonder how quickly they're going to be able to run everyone through the operation."

Jacky shrugged his shoulders and winced at the sharp jab of pain he experienced in the area behind his right ear, after the pain ebbed he said;"Not sure buddy, depends on if they can get another doctor involved. If Doc Davidson has to do them all, well, you figure two guys every three hours and if he does four sets a day, I guess about a week or so. I know he's already done James and Matt;other than them, who knows how many have already undergone the procedure."

Jesse Stevens walked in to the ward and moved to the side of Jacky's bed;"Hi guys, how're the heads?"

Jap smiled at the blond headed Corpsman and reached under the sheet covering him and grabbed his crotch;"The little one's just fine, but the one on my shoulders hurts like hell."

Jesse blushed and laughed at Jap;"I shoulda known you'd come up with a line like that." Jesse set the tray he was carrying down on the bedside table between Jap and Jacky's beds and picked up a paper cup similar to the ones used in some fast food restaurants for catsup. Looking back at Jap he said;"Well I can kinda help you out with that problem, but you're on your own with the other." He then handed Jap the small paper cup and a Styrofoam cup with water in it. "Take these and they'll help with the pain, they'll also make you drowsy so you can get a good night's sleep."

Jap smiled his crooked smile at Jesse before taking the pills and washing them down with the cup of water. Jacky quickly followed suit and lay back on his pillow, just as he was about to say something Doug James whined;"Fuck that hurts, can we have some of that shit you just gave them?"

Jesse moved to the side of Doug's bed and grasped his hand with his right while his left hand gently smoothed Doug's hair on the left side of his head. He was careful to stay away from where the surgery had been performed. Looking Doug in the eyes he said;"Not just yet buddy, ya gotta wait for a couple a three hours after the operation to let the Demerol filter out of your system. The Doc wants to make sure there's no adverse reaction with the pain medication; I'll be back in when it's time and make sure you guys get what you need."

Doug tried to nod his head, but thought better of it when with the first movement he felt the first twinge of pain. Jesse patted his hand and left the four to rest and talk if they felt up to it. Within a half hour, Jap and Jacky were sawing logs.

Day Eleven

Jap had awakened at 05:45 and lay quietly in his bed, Jacky was still out and snoring softly. At 06:00, Jesse entered the ward and saw that Jap was awake. Moving to his bedside he smiled softly at the little redhead;"How ya doing buddy, does your head still hurt?"

Jap smiled back him and said;"Yeah, a little, kind of a dull ache, not really a headache, it's more like after you bump your head hard."

Jesse nodded and reached into the pocket of the lab coat he was wearing and pulled out a bottle of pills. Picking up the pitcher of water from the table alongside Jap's bed he poured a little into a plastic cup and shook out two pills from the bottle. “Here, wash these down, they're ibuprofen and they'll knock that headache out in a few minutes." Jesse pulled a Kleenex out of the box on the table and sat down next to the box, he then shook out two more pills and laid them on the Kleenex. Turning back to Jap he said;"When Jacky wakes up, have him take these, I'll be back in later with the Doc when he makes his rounds this morning. If you need anything, hit the call button and I'll come as soon as I can."

By 09:00, Jap, Jacky and the James boys had been released from the dispensary; the Doctor had told them to take it easy for the rest of the day and to report back immediately if they became nauseous, their incision started bleeding or if they got a severe headache. The four went to the 'War Wagon' and checked out their Barretts and AR-10's, broke them down, inspected them and then cleaned them. After they had finished, it was close to noon, so they went to the mess trailer and had lunch. All four of them then went to the dispensary and 'Doc' Stevens gave them some more ibuprofen for the mild headache they were all still suffering from. As they were about to leave, Kyle and Gerry walked out of the ward, Gerry looked a little tired and nervous. Jap moved to his side and asked;"How you doing Gerry, are you feeling okay?"

Gerry gave Jap a small smile before saying;"I think so, I'm just tired and my head still hurts."

Jesse heard his comment and told him;"Gerry, your headache should go away in a little bit. If it doesn't, come on back and I'll see if we can't give you something stronger, Okay?

Gerry nodded and then winced at the jab of pain he suffered;"Oww, that hurt."

Jap smiled at the teenager and said;"If that hurt, then don't do it."

Gerry looked at Jap and thought about what he had just said before saying;"Oh, okay."

Day Thirteen

For the next two days, as more and more of the people designated for the implant surgery went through the procedure, the furious activity of the previous week slowed considerably. It was just about impossible to continue training until the incisions from the surgery they had undergone healed. The location of the wounds precluded the use of the 'Mickey Mouse' ears, or for that matter ear plugs when they were shooting, so they were basically in a stand down mode until such time as they healed.

The second day after they were released from the dispensary, Jap, Jacky and twenty of the other Unit One boys, both non-surgery recoveries and surgery recoveries were taken to town for an afternoon off. It had been decided by the command group that the kids needed some time away from 'GBF' (GhostRyder Base Forward) and they'd all be given a chance to hit the town for some 'down time.' Sergeant Babcock and Gunny MacCarver escorted the boys on one of the MCI buses. Doctor Davidson had ordered Jesse to go to town with the liberty party and to enjoy himself. Jesse tried to beg off, but Doctor Davidson was adamant about him going. After he changed into shorts and a T-Shirt, he, along with his ubiquitous gun bag showed up at the safety briefing for the kids going ashore. Before they left for town, each one of the boys was given $160.00 for spending money; all of them were cautioned against using the money for drugs or alcohol. Actually, none of the adults really anticipated that there would be any problems, all of the boys still remembered, or were told about what had happened when J.J. Townsend was caught doing pot. None of the kids wanted the punishment that J.J. had been awarded; even more so, none of the kids wanted to take a chance on missing out on the operation they were about to embark on. So, everyone knew to stay far, far away from drugs and booze.

At a little after 13:00,the big MCI coach pulled into the parking lot of the local Winn-Dixie grocery store (a major food store chain in the southeastern portion of U.S.) and parked in the far northeastern corner of the lot. Gunny MacCarver had already told them to stay out of trouble and to be back to the bus by midnight. The twenty two boys split up into groups of twos, threes and fours and headed out to explore the delights of beautiful downtown Blountstown. Yeah, right! All six square blocks of it, it wasn't much larger than Denton City back in Washington State. Oh well, such is life in the big city (snicker, snicker). Jap, Jacky, Kyle and Gerry, all dressed in shorts and T-Shirts, headed toward the main business district of the town. They had not eaten lunch before they'd left GRF so their first stop was, in their opinion, the only fine restaurant (a McDonald’s) Blountstown had to offer. Not having had their usual fix of 'Mickey D's' for almost a week, it was their first choice for the grease they all hungered for. They had nothing against the food back at the base; it's just that no institutional food could match the Je nais sa quai of McDonald's. Or maybe it was just the grease, who knows, who cares. To the boys Mickey D's was their piece de resistance. So the four boys entered the restaurant and bellied up to the service counter, Jap was the first to order when the pimply faced teenager behind the counter asked him if he could help him. "Hi, I'd like two Quarter Pounders with cheese, a large fry, a large chocolate shake and two apple pies. Oh yeah, and a McChicken sandwich too please," he added.

The kid behind the counter looked at him a little strange before saying;"Is that for here or to go?" Jap told him it was for here, the kid added up the total and said;"That'll be twelve fourteen." Jap gave the kid one of the twenties he'd been given before leaving GRF.

After receiving his change he moved to the side a little to allow Jacky to approach the counter, Jacky looked at the menu for a few seconds before saying;"I'd like two Big Mac's, a Quarter Pounder with cheese, two large fries, a double cheeseburger and a large Diet Coke please."

Once again the kid behind the counter looked at Jacky the same way he had looked at Jap before saying;"That'll be fourteen fifty two." Just as Jap had done, Jacky gave him a twenty. After receiving his change he moved over alongside Jap to wait for his order.

Kyle moved to the counter and started his order;"I'll have four cheeseburgers, two large fries and two large Cokes please." The kid tallied it up and said;"That'll be eleven thirty three." Kyle handed him another twenty and the kid looked at him like Kyle just pissed him off;"You got anything smaller than this, I'm running short on change?"

Kyle checked his wallet and then looked over to Jap and Jacky before saying;"Would one of you lend me two dollars till I can break that twenty some place else, please" Jap pulled out the change he'd gotten from his pocket and peeled off two singles, handing it to Kyle he said;"No sweat, here ya go."

When their food was delivered, they took their trays to a booth by the front window where they could watch the traffic and pedestrians go by while they ate. Being as how it was after the lunchtime rush, the four boys were by themselves in the dining room. While they were chowing down, the kid who'd served them at the counter came out and was bussing the tables earlier diners had left covered with their trash. As he worked, the kid whose name tag said he was 'Earl' kept stealing glances at the four boys sitting by the front window. When he got close to their table he stopped what he was doing and looked at Jacky for a second or two before saying' "All ya'll ain't from around here are ya?"

Jacky smiled at the teenager before replying;"Nope, just visiting."

"Yankees hunh?" He smirked before continuing;"I knew it when ya'll ordered your grub and I heard the way ya'll talked, whatcha doin here?"

Jap luckily had a mouth full of food and was unable to butt in, Jacky responded to the guys question with;"Oh we're down here with our Boy Scout troop camping, we'll probably be around now and then for at least a couple a weeks."

The kid snorted;"Boy Scouts, great, just what we need around here is more 'goody two shoes' getting in the way." Shaking his head, he moved on with his work before Jap, who had swallowed his mouth full of food could tell him to 'fuck off, suck off and die.' Jacky saw that Jap was getting ready to rejoin the conversation, stopped him by jabbing him in the ribs and saying;"Let it go buddy, he's just an ignorant redneck and ain't worth the trouble."

Jap looked at his boyfriend for a few seconds before nodding his head in affirmation and then got back to the serious business of eating his lunch. When they finished eating, they bussed their table and moved outside. Looking at the business district, Kyle was the first to speak;"Well, it sure isn't downtown Seattle, what da you guys want to do now?"

Jap looked at Jacky and then at Kyle and Gerry before saying;"Why don't we head over to the theater and see what's playing? If we can't find anything worth watching, we'll try to think of something else to do” The other three boys nodded their heads in agreement and they started off with Kyle and Gerry in the lead. About a block from the McDonald’s Jap caught sight of a green car pulling to a stop just in front of them; he was kind of surprised to see it was a dark green Cadillac. The reason he was surprised was because it was a Police car, dressed out with the Blountstown City Seal on its door and a low profile light bar on its roof, and 'Police' painted on the front fender. As they drew abreast of the front door the window on the passenger side rolled down and they heard a deep voice from the inside of the car. "You boys hold up for a minute." the voice had a southern drawl to it and Jap started to worry. "Great, that's all we need, is to get hassled by the local cops. If I start hearing 'banjo music, I'm outa here"

The boys stopped and watched as the driver's side door of the big car opened and a very large man in uniform climbed slowly out. The man adjusted his gun belt so that it rode a little higher on his hips. Reaching back inside the car he pulled out a night stick which he stuck in a loop attached to his gun belt before rounding the front of his high-priced cruiser. Moving in front of the four boys he paused for a moment before saying;"You boys ain't from around these parts, are you?"

Jap was about to say something, something that would, in all likelihood, piss the big redneck police officer off. Jacky grabbed him by the shoulder and squeezed gently to shut him up before saying;"No sir, we're out at the old Air Force base for part of the summer, we just came in to town to eat and see a movie." The officer nodded his head and said;"Let me see some I.D."

Once again Jap was about to spin up and say something when he felt Jack squeeze his shoulder again, this time hard enough to make him squirm. The officer saw this and said;"What's a matter Red, you gotta pee or something?" Jap looked him in the eyes and said softly;"No sir."

The four boys reached in their pockets and pulled out the I.D. Cards that had been made up with this specific type of situation in mind. The cards were computer generated; each had a picture of their owner on one side along with the personal statistics; color of eyes, color of hair, weight and height. All of the cards had either the Trenton International Corporation or Falconberg Industries logo printed on them. The officer took the proffered cards and studied them closely before handing them back. He then looked at Jap for a few more seconds before saying;"Alright boys, move along and stay out of trouble, I don't want ta hear about all ya'll causing problems in my town. Ya hear?"

The four boys all answered with;"Yes sir." Jap grumbled to himself as they walked away from the police officer and his Caddy. Jacky asked quietly;"What are you mumbling about?"

"He pissed me off, he didn't have any reason to stop us, we weren't doing nothing wrong. Damn, I thought all those movies about the South were bullshitting about the big bellied, redneck cops." Jap thought for a second or two before continuing;"Damn if he don't look like that guy who played Sheriff Roscoe something on the 'Dukes of Hazard,' only fatter and uglier. What's next, we gonna get railroaded by 'Boss Hogg' and have to have James or somebody bail us outta jail?"

Oh how prophetic Jap’s last statement was to prove.

Jacky chuckled then grew serious;"If I hadn't said something before you got a chance to spin up, that's exactly what coulda happened. You gotta learn to keep calm when you're dealing with assholes like that. Please buddy try ta keep your shit in one sock from now on, we don't need to have any problems with the local law."

Jap sighed;"You're right, I'm trying to keep it together, but damn it Jacky people like him just flat piss me off." Jap looked at his boyfriend and sighed again;"You're right, I'll try to keep from getting pissed off from now on."

As they continued walking, Gerry giggled and looked over at Jap saying;"You are right Jap, he does look like that guy, you know, Sheriff Roscoe."

The other three laughed at Gerry's comment as they arrived at the theater, as they stood looking at the posters in front of the ticket office, they had a hard time deciding what to see. They all were finally able to agree on 'Final Destination 3,' none of them had seen it or F.D. 1 or 2. A little over two hours later the four boys were walking out of the theater, yawning and stretching while squinting their eyes against the bright afternoon sunlight. Jap and Kyle both sneezed twice from the sunshine. Kyle was the first to make a comment after he blew his nose;"I thought that movie would never get over, I don't know how the first and second ones in the series were, but I thought this one really sucked.”

The other three boys agreed with Kyle, then Gerry's stomach growled;"What's a matter Gerry?" Jacky asked;"You can't be hungry, you must’ve ate a whole bucket of popcorn during the movie."

Right then, Jap’s stomach threw its two cents in by grumbling loudly. Jacky smiled at him and then his stomach rumbled a little bit;"Well I guess we could all use something a little bit more filling, why don't we see if we can find some place to eat besides 'Mickey D's'?"

Looking around them, they found a small diner across the street and all agreed to give it a try. As they entered the restaurant, the unmistakable aroma of liver could be smelled. Jacky's face lit up;"Oh wow, I'm gonna get me some liver and onions."

Jap’s face scrunched up as he said;"I'm gonna break you of that stuff if it’s the last thing I do, yeeeeech."

Jacky laughed at his little lover and Kyle and Gerry joined in, Gerry not really understanding what was funny, but he knew his brother wouldn't laugh if it wasn't funny. The boys sat down at a table near the back of the small dining area and were promptly waited on by a heavy set,middle-aged woman who looked like she used a cement trowel to apply her makeup. While they were waiting, and then eating their food, Jap noticed five kids seated at a table near the front door, one of whom was the kid who'd waited on them at McDonald’s. The boys were talking quietly and kept taking quick looks at them when they didn't think they were watching. As the squaddies were waiting for their check, the boys got up as a group, paid their bill and left, Jap noted that they were headed in the direction the Winn-Dixie where the bus was parked. Just then the check came and Kyle grabbed it;"My treat." Jap was about to argue when Jacky kicked him in the shin and shook his head 'no.'

As Kyle was paying the bill, Jap, Jacky and Gerry went outside and waited on him to come out. When Kyle joined them, Jacky said;"Why don't we head back to the bus, maybe some of the other guys are there and found something to do besides eat and see a movie?"

Heading back to the bus, they drew abreast of a narrow alley between two of the buildings. Jacky had been walking nearest the street, then Jap, Kyle and Gerry, as they were passing the alley, one of the kids who had been in the diner reached out and grabbed Gerry and pulled him into the alley. Gerry let out a startled yelp as the kid pushed him face first into the building's wall. Jacky and Jap turned immediately and started to go after Gerry when the other four boys blocked their way. The kid from McDonald’s spoke for the group;"All ya'll stop where you're at or Mark here's gonna cut your little bitch a set a 'faggot wings'." The three boys could see the kid named Mark had a four and a half inch blade Buck knife stuck near Gerry's right kidney while his left hand was pushing his face into the brick wall.

Jap was the first to speak;"What da ya want?"

One of the other boys answered;"Earl here says all ya'll were flashing lots of money at Mickey D's today, we want what you got, give it to us and we'll let the little faggot go. Give us any shit and he's gonna get hurt . . hurt real bad like."

Jap was about to tell him where to stuff it when Jacky said;"No problem, just let him go and we'll give you what we got. But you better know this, you hurt him and we'll break your arms, all of them, you understand?"

Earl, the kid from McDonald’s laughed at Jacky;"Ta begin with, punk, there's five of us and only three of y’all, this pussy ain't gonna be any problem to us." As he said that, the four boys all pulled out knives similar to the one 'Mark' had against Gerry's back.

During the last year and a half, all the boys of Unit One had been taught 'American Sign Language' so that they could communicate silently during the exercises they'd been involved in. Jacky held his hands out in front of him, like he was trying to placate the boys. What he was actually doing was telling Jap;"When I say go, you take the two on the right and I'll take the two on the left." Watching Jap with his peripheral vision, Jacky saw him nod slightly indicating he understood.

To take their minds off what he and Jap were about to do, he said;"Okay, okay, you win." Seeing them relax slightly, he spoke softly to Jap, only saying one word; “NOW!”

Both moved at the same time: Jap took two steps and leaped into the air, hitting the guy on the far right in the chest with both feet. At the same time he struck out at his other target and hit him in the throat with his balled up fist. While he was taking out his people, Jacky took one step and kicked his right target in the nuts, while the kid dropped to his knees making fish mouths; he blocked the knife strike by pushing the other guy’s hand to the right using his left hand. Wide open now, Jacky hit him in the solar plexus with the knuckles of his clenched right hand. With the air knocked out of him the guy dropped to his knees alongside the guy who was making fish mouths. Grabbing the two by the sides of their heads, Jacky smashed them together and both went flat on their backs, unconscious.

Jacky quickly looked around. Jap’s targets were both down but still conscious, all four had dropped their knives so Jacky, using the toe of his shoe, kicked them out towards the street. The last boy still had Gerry against the wall, but was making no effort to harm him. Jap looked him in the eye and said;"You've got three seconds to release him, if you don't, I'm gonna kill you." The guy looked at Jap wondering how the whole thing had gone south on them so quickly. They’d done this type of thing before, but this was the only time anyone had ever fought back. Looking at the redhead, then looking at his four buddies, he looked at Jap again just as the little guy said;"One."

The look in the small boy’s eyes told him he wasn't kidding about killing him;"Two." Mark knew he was in deep shit. He quickly threw down the knife and released Gerry. Jap walked up to him and calmly kneed him in the nuts. Just like his buddy, Mark dropped to his knees holding his balls and started making fish mouths. Jap looked at the kid and said;"That was for Gerry." With out another word, Jap spun and landed a solid snap kick to Mark's chest, knocking him over backwards and causing him to impact the pavement. Looking down at the kid Jap said;"That one was for me asshole."

While Jap was tending to Mark, Kyle ran over to his brother who was staring wide eyed at Jap and Jacky. Gerry who had just seconds before been crying just stood there as his brother pulled him in to a hug. Kyle turned him slightly and saw large splotch of blood on his T-Shirt where Mark had cut him. He turned Gerry so he could see his face and saw it was covered with blood from being rubbed against the brick wall. Releasing his brother, he walked over to Mark who was still conscious and said;"You rotten mother fucker." He then raised his right foot and stomped on Marks right hand as hard as he could. The sound of crunching bone could be heard clearly in the stillness of the alley. Mark let out a scream of pain and then passed out. Kyle was about to stomp his hand again when Jacky pulled him away from the unconscious boy;"That's enough Kyle we got to call the police and then GBF and let them know what's happened.”

Jap looked worried now;"Maybe we should contact GBF first, we don't know how the 'Town Clowns' are going to react to us beatin on some of the locals."

Jacky nodded and pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed James. It rang twice before James answered with;"Bateman, what's going on Jacky?"

Jacky quickly filled James in about what happened. When he was finished James said;"Stay right there, I'm going to get Bucky and we'll be there as quickly as possible. Does your phone have a camera built in to it? If it does, take some pictures of the bad guys, Gerry's back and the knives, then e-mail them to me before you call the police. Do it as soon as we hang up. Oh yeah, wait at least ten minutes before calling the cops. After you call the cops, call the main Communications Office number here and leave your phone turned on till we get there, understand?"

Jacky acknowledged the orders, disconnected and went about taking pictures, while he was doing that, he told Jap to do the same thing with him in the pictures. When they were both done, Jacky e-mailed his and then started calling the cops. While he was doing that, Jap e-mailed his pictures to James also. After Jap e-mailed his pictures, he called the Com Office. Gunny Mcnaughten answered;"Communications, Mcnaughten speaking."

Jap responded with;"Gunny, this is Jap, James told me to call ya and leave my phone on till he got here." The Gunny said;"Yeah, he told me you'd be calling, can you place your phone someplace where it's out of the way but can still pick up any conversations in the area?"

Jap said;"Yeah Gunny, I'll put it next to wall behind where we're standing, I got it set for 'Outdoor,' that ought ta give ya good reception." After saying goodbye, he placed the phone next to the brick wall of the building on the left hand side of the alley. He then moved over and spoke softly to Gerry, trying to keep him calm. While he was talking softly, he pulled Gerry's T-Shirt off and folded it up and pressed it against the wound in Gerry's side to try and stop the bleeding.

Jacky waited ten minutes, and then punched in 9-1-1, after it rang twice it was picked up by the dispatcher;"9-1-1, Please state your emergency." Jacky took a deep breath and started talking;"My name’s Jacky Hoffman, me and three of my friends were just attacked by five guys with knives."

"Give me the address please." The dispatcher requested.

"Sorry ma'am, I don't know the town, we're in downtown Blountstown across the street from the 'Ace Hardware' near the front of an alley."

"Does anyone require medical assistance?" the woman asked.

"Yes ma'am, the five guys who attacked us are unconscious and my friend's brother was cut by one of the boys who were trying to rob us. His face is kind of messed up too from the as . . . . I mean the guy who held him against the brick wall while the rest of them tried to rob us."

“Please remain on the telephone until the emergency response officers and medical personnel arrive." The lady instructed Jacky.

Jap was with Kyle comforting Gerry while Jacky was contacting the police, as Jap gave Jacky a thumbs up gesture, they all heard the responding police units heading toward them, 'Code 3.'

Jap looked over at Gerry and Kyle before saying;"Quick Kyle, bring Gerry over here and stick close to him. Matter of fact, hold on to him so he doesn't get scared when the cops get here."

Just as he finished saying that, the first Patrol Car screeched to a halt in front of the alley. The police officer climbed hurriedly out and drew his service weapon, pointing it in the general direction of the Unit One boys. Five seconds after the cop drew down on them, a second, then a third Patrol Car stopped, disgorging two more police officers, both drawing their weapons and covering the four boys. The first cop started yelling;"Hands behind your heads, hands behind your heads, do it now.” Jap and Jacky complied immediately; Kyle was a little slower as he told Gerry to do what the police said. Gerry, looking scared, but followed Kyle's orders. The cop started yelling again;"All of you down on your knees, do it now." When they were down on their knees, the other cops moved to the side of the boys, one kept his Glock trained on them while the other started handcuffing Jap. When Jap had his hands cuffed behind him, the cop went ahead and did the same to the other three after pulling the cell phone out of Jacky's hand and dropping it to the ground. Once they were all cuffed, Jap said, “Officer, the boy on the end was stabbed by one of the guys who tried to rob us would you please see where the medical response people are?"

The cop, a big bellied middle-aged sweating red-faced man didn't even hesitate backhanding Jap across the face. The blow was delivered with enough force to knock Jap over backwards causing him to slam his head against the brick wall. Jacky didn't think, he didn't hesitate, he just lunged forward, uncoiling off his knees with the speed of a striking sidewinder and rammed his head in to the officer’s gut. The force of the head butt was sufficient to ram the cop into the brick wall four feet behind him. With the breath knocked out of him from the head butt, and being dazed by his head impacting against the brick wall, the fat cop slid to floor of the alley groaning. The first cop holstered his weapon and drew his Taser and aimed it at Jacky, when he pulled the trigger, two darts attached to hair thin wire flew from the gun and stuck in Jacky's right shoulder. Upon imbedding themselves in his shoulder, 75,000 volts traveled down the wires connecting them with the base unit. Jacky grunted and his whole body started to shudder and writhe as the 75,000 volts and eighteen watts of direct current caused him to lock his whole body in a paroxysm of pain for five eternal seconds. When the voltage finally cut off, he fell face first to the pavement, smashing his nose.

Kyle kept speaking softly to Gerry, keeping him as calm as he could under the circumstances. Gerry was terrified, he'd never been involved in a situation like this and he didn't know how to react. Kyle, keeping his voice soft, telling him to remain calm, that everything was going to be okay and to just take it easy was the only thing that was keeping Gerry going. When Jacky was down, the cop that ‘tasered’ him hit the eject button on the pistol-like Taser and the module that had contained the expended darts and wire was ejected from the base unit and dropped to the ground. The expended darts remained firmly lodged in Jacky's shoulder while he lay writhing on the pavement of the alley. After replacing the expended cartridge and holstering the Taser, the cop hurried over to the officer Jacky stunned and checked to see if he was injured. As the cop was doing that, the sound of a high revving, big bore diesel engine could be heard approaching. The third cop had gone back to his cruiser and was calling Dispatch for more assistance. The next thing the cops knew, there was a big white MCI motor coach screeching to a halt with the squeal of tires and the loud hiss of airbrakes. Even before the bus stopped, the passenger door opened and Jesse Stevens erupted from the door, followed closely by Gunnery Sergeant MacCarver and Staff Sergeant Babcock. Not knowing what was going on, the Cop who had just ‘tasered’ Jacky drew his Glock, turned to face the oncoming men and yelled;"Halt."

Seeing the weapon pointed at them, all three stopped in their tracks. Jesse looked at the cop, then looked at the four Unit One boys and said;"I'm medically trained, and unless you want a federal, state and local lawsuit plastered on you and the other two 'Police Officers,' you'll stand aside and allow me to work on our people." The cop, like the fat one Jacky took out wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. So when he said;"You just stand there kid, nobody approaches the prisoners until the Chief gets here."

As he finished ordering Jesse to stay away from the boys the sound of multiple 6.5 liter diesel engines rapidly approaching could be heard by all. To the three police cars and one MCI bus, four HUMVEEs, one with a large Red Cross painted on its side, were added to the already crowded street. Sixteen doors opened almost simultaneously and a total of eighteen people scrambled out of the vehicles. John Wilcott was the first to stop alongside Jesse Stevens, looking at the cop, then turning to Jesse he asked: "What's going on Jess, why aren't you over there helping our guys?"

"This 'Policeman,' Officer Timmons’,” Jesse said, making the word 'Policeman' sound like he meant to say 'shit';"Won't let me near his 'prisoners' until the chief gets here."

As Jesse was talking, the others that had arrived in the HUMVEEs gathered together behind John and stood listening. John looked back at the cop when Jesse was finished;"Where's the chief, officer." He asked;"and why isn't he here."

The cop sneered at him and said;"That's purely none of your business, now you people move along before I arrest your Yankee asses too."

Bucky Trenton who had been standing alongside John pulled out his cell phone, hit the speed dial and waited for a few seconds. “Charlie?” he asked;"This is Bucky Trenton, I'm here in Blountstown and some friends of mine have been arrested." He paused for a few seconds while he listened and then said;"That's not the problem Charlie, two of them are unconscious, one’s thirteen and the other’s fifteen. The officer on scene refuses to let our medical people go to them until the Chief of Police shows up, he refused to tell us were the chief is or when he'll be here." He paused again and said;"Thanks Charlie, I'll put him on." Taking the phone from his ear, he held it out to the cop;"Governor Crist wishes to speak to you."

The cop paled but tried to bluff his way through;"Who you think you're trying to shit Mister, I ain't got time to mess with you people."

"Charlie, it's me again, he refuses to take the phone." Another pause;"Fine, thank you very much, I look forward to talking to you soon." Pressing the 'End' button, he returned the phone to his pocket and looked at the cop again before turning to John and saying;"The governor will be here as soon as possible John."

John Wilcott gave Bucky a thin smile and nodded, turning back to the policeman he said;"You and the other two officers are already looking at a very large lawsuit, not just against the city you're working for, but against you personally. If I were you, I'd let our medic look at the injured boys before your Chief calls. It’s up to you, it's not my ass hanging in the breeze here." Just then, a large black Yukon stopped and three men and three boys got out of the truck. Two of the men wore light wind breakers, were large and had their heads shaved bald. The three boys who accompanied them looked very intently at what was going on. The tallest of the three, a well built blond headed teen of about fifteen or sixteen, started taking pictures of everything. The smallest of the three boys, held his arms up to prevent the two bald headed guys, who incidentally looked really pissed, from going any farther. One of the other men walked to the front and saw Jap and Jacky lying on the ground unconscious, and started to move towards them when the cop pointed his gun at him. The man stopped and said;"My name is Davidson, I'm a doctor, now stand out of my way while I check on those boys."

The cop was about to order him to halt when he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the third policeman say;"For Gods' sake Billy-Bob, let it go, just back off and let these two have a look at them." All eyes in the crowd now surrounding scene turned to the officer who had just spoken.

The cop lowered his weapon as he turned to speak to the other officer and said;"God damn it Parsons, the Chief will have our asses if we do that, you know how he is."

"If we don't let the Doctor look at them," Parsons pointed out, "If something happens to them it'll be our asses in a crack, not the Chief's. And with the EMT's having to come all the way from Tallahassee, it’s gonna be at least another twenty minutes before they get here." Turning back to the doctor he said;"Go ahead Doc, go ahead and make sure they're alright."

While Doctor Davidson and Jesse hurried to the sides of the two unconscious Unit One boys, Officer Parsons started handcuffing the five locals who had tried to rob the Unit One boys, all the while ignoring the comments made by Billy-Bob. Billy-Bob continued to complain about how the Chief wasn't going to like him cuffing the locals when he finally got there. Jesse started working on Jap while the doctor administered to Jacky. When the Doctor realized that Jacky had been ‘tasered’, he turned his head back to the watching group of men and boys and yelled;"Somebody get me a tank of O-2 and the drug box, hurry please." Turning back to Jacky, he worked the Taser darts from his shoulder and threw them aside.

End of Chapter 6
Next, Chapter 7; FUck With The Bull And You Get The Horns
By; Jamie Haze and GhostRyder15