Kombat Kids - 42. Jap's Revenge

02:08 4,500 METERS ABOVE LZ IN SOUTHERN WASHINGTON

Arms out, legs spread, Matt was looking around for the beacon that Keener had activated eight minutes ago. The NVG (Night Vision Goggles) were made for relatively short-range work, but the beacon in the landing zone was powerful enough to be seen from his altitude. His altimeter read 4,500 meters (14,700 feet), ten seconds later and another thousand feet lower, he saw the strobe of infrared light to his left. Speaking into his chin mic;"All jumpers beacon sighted."

Within seconds of his announcement, he started to hear the rest of the jumpers confirm their sighting of the beacon;"Two, Seven, Eleven." The remaining jumpers all confirmed sighting it. As the seconds passed and the ground rushed towards them at 120 miles an hour, Matt gave his final command;"Chute deployment at 1,500 meters, deploy manually at 1,300 meters, confirm."

He got confirmation from all the jumpers that they were ready to pull their ripcords if their chute failed to automatically deploy at 1,500 meters. The seconds passed quickly as did the remaining distance to the ground. At 1,500 meters, he felt the chute start to deploy and two seconds later, he felt the jerk as the 380 square feet of his canopy was fully deployed. He hit the quick release latch of his gear bag and felt it fall away from his right leg, and then the jerk on his LBE as the twenty-foot line attached to it went taut. Using his risers, he steered towards the beacon, after looking around to insure he wasn't about to collide with any other jumper. The PARIS unit he was using allowed greater maneuverability and he was able to touch ground within ten feet of the beacon. Turning quickly, he started to roll up his cute as he saw the others of the team landing all over the clearing. As soon as the chute was rolled up, he removed his chute harness and helmet. Kneeling down, he pulled his gear bag to him and opened it, first removing and loading his AR10 with a thirty round box magazine. Setting it on the ground, he pulled out his Kevlar helmet and mounted the NVG to it, after putting it on; he secured the helmet chinstrap. Picking up his rifle he spoke into his chin mic;"All jumpers, form on me at the beacon." By 02:14, all the jumpers were kneeling down in a lose circle facing outward with Matt at its center.

Matt spoke in to his mike again: "Walker One, this is Six, over" A few seconds later he heard;"Six, this Walker One, I'm moving towards your position, make sure the guys don't cap me, over"

All the jumpers being on the same frequency heard Keener's instruction and weren't surprised when he moved from the tree line ten meters from where they were crouching around Matt. Even though they knew he was coming, six rifles pointed at him as he moved toward them. Matt saw the boys line up on him and said over the unit net;"Easy guys, it's Keener."

Hearing Matt speak to them, the muzzles dropped toward the ground but their owners continued to sweep the tree line for any unwanted visitors. Keener stepped between Jesse Stevens and Dave Allyn and crouched down alongside Matt before saying;"We need to get moving, I tapped on the basement window and was able to get Jacky's attention. I think he's really hurting, so we got to get Jesse in there to see what he can do for him."

Mat nodded and spoke into his mic;"Stevens, you're going in with Keener. Littlelk, Beck, you guys set up observation posts at the end of the cabin’s driveway, if someone comes through, let us know but don't stop them, go." Jordan and Connor headed in the direction of the cabin to set up their OP (Observation Posts), he turned to Jap;"Jap, you and Bauer find your firing position, remember no shooting unless I tell you to or you see one of our guys in trouble, Go." Looking at two more Squadies he said: "Tyme, Hedding go around back and set up your security points, no one leaves that cabin, go." He looked at the remaining six boys and two men before saying: "I want you guys to cover Mr. Peterson, Sheriff Martin and myself, Tommy you stay back a ways and don't get involved unless you have to. Anyone got any questions?"

When no one asked any he continued;"On second thought, Morton, you cover Jesse and Keener when they make their entry into the basement." Turning to Mitch he asked;"Can you handle Keener's 60, it's going to be too close in that basement to be using it there?"

Mitch nodded his head and gave Keener his AR15 and his spare magazines for it. Keener handed him the 60 and his ruck containing the extra Australian ammo boxes for it. Matt looked at the boy's one more time before saying;"Ok guys, let's do this, if you got to shoot, don't hesitate, just follow the plan and we'll have Jacky back in a few minutes.

02:25, FIFTY METERS WEST OF SR 97 ON THE DIRT ROAD LEADING TO THE PRINCE CABIN.

The last semi was being unloaded; the three lowboys had disgorged their cargo of HUMVEE'S, the LAV and FAV and headed to the rally point on I-82. The two remaining FAV's were just moving into the woods off the dirt road when a black GMC Yukon moved slowly past the parked semi. The driver of the tractor had the hood of the Peterbilt tilted forward pretending to work on the big diesel engine. After the Yukon had passed, he pulled his radio off his belt and spoke softly into it: "GhostRyder Six this is Tractor Four, over."

Almost immediately, Matt answered;"Four, this is Six, go."

“We got a black Yukon heading your way with four men inside, over."

Matt spoke into his mic after thinking for a few seconds;"GhostRyder 25 move toward the cabin and halt in place at the entry to their driveway. Refuse exit to all vehicles trying to leave the cabin, over."

Tyler English responded to the call;"Six, Two Five, Roger your last, GhostRyder 25 out."

Switching to the intercom he spoke to his boyfriend and lover;"You hear that Justin, let’s move out."

Justin Tannonligua answered;"Got it, moving, you watch your ass up there Ty, you hear me?'

"Yeah I do buddy." Tyler said softly to his lover as the heavy vehicle accelerated down the dirt road to take up its blocking position at the driveway entrance to the Prince cabin.

02:25 AT THE PRINCE CABIN

Keener was set to knock out the basement window glass with the butt of his AR15 when Matt and Steve Peterson took the front door. Jesse waited behind him keeping watch of the surrounding area.

Matt had cut the power and telephone lines to the cabin in preparation to making the assault on the cabin. Before he set his breaching charges (small explosive charges made up of industrial grade plastic explosive) he activated a small electronic device he ‘accidentally’ forgot to turn in when he left the Navy. It was a specialty device constructed by the Department of Naval Research and Development to jam any cellular telephone within a quarter of a mile. After placing the small explosive charges on the hinges, next to the doorknob and deadbolt and inserting the non-electric blasting caps, he ran the firing leads fifteen feet down the side of the cabin. After attaching the firing leads to his battery powered 'Hellbox,' he spoke into his mic;"Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole." The third time he said fire in the hole, he pressed the fire button and the five small charges detonated.

When Keener heard the third "fire in the hole" he smashed the window glass, and then ran the stock around the window frame to clear out any remaining glass that might injure him or Jesse when they crawled through into the basement. Keener snaked his way through the window as the explosion of the breaching charges sounded throughout the cabin. Crouching down, he shouldered his rifle and aimed at the door at the top of the stairs and then gestured for Jesse to enter.

Jesse climbed down into the basement and moved immediately to Jacky. After setting his AR-15 and Gun Bag (a term used in the navy for a canvas bag with drawstrings) on the floor, he pulled his Ka-Bar and sliced through the duct tape holding him to the support post. Jacky started to groan in pain as Jesse laid him on his side. Reaching across Jacky's body, he quickly cut the tape binding his hands. Jesse almost gagged at the smell coming off of Jacky's body, as he started shaking with rage at what had been done to his friend. By the smell, it appeared that besides Jacky vomiting, he also fouled himself, both pissing and shitting in his pants. Jesse fervently hoped one or more of the fuckers came down the stairs so he could get a shot at them. Quickly he cleared his mind of revenge and started to examine the teenager; cuts and bruises covered the boy’s face as well as dried blood from his smashed nose and split lips. He took a penlight flashlight from his belt and gently pulled his left eyelid open, shining it in the boy’s eye, he saw the pupil contract. He then did the same to the right which contracted a little but was very sluggish in its response. Jesse then started to move his hands over Jacky's head looking for swelling and cuts, when he found none; he started to move down his neck and shoulders. He got no response until he got to his chest, when he started to press on the ribcage, Jacky groaned and said in a whisper;"Please, oh God, don't do that, it hurts so bad."

Jesse stopped probing and spoke softly, with a husky voice, “Easy guy it's me Jesse, we come to get you home. Just relax while I check you out. I promise I'll be as gentle as I can but I gotta find out what damage has been done to you." Continuing, trying to ignore the soft moaning from Jacky, Jesse continued his exam. Crying softly now for the pain and humiliation his friend was suffering, Jesse moved to Jacky's abdomen and gently probed, this elicited more groaning. He moved down to his hips and thighs, when he started to manipulate the right thigh, Jacky let out a yelp and started crying at the pain. As Jesse was examining Jacky, shooting started, not just above them in the cabin, but outside to the front and sides of the cabin. It sounded like a 'Hell Minute' at the range, when everyone fired as fast as they could for a solid minute, doing nothing but sending as much lead down range as possible. Keener moved deeper in the basement so he could cover both the basement door and the window they had made their entry through.

02:25, THE SNIPER 100 METERS FROM THE PRINCE CABIN

When Jap heard Tractor Four give his warning about the approaching Yukon, he dropped the magazine from his rifle and ejected the chambered round. Reaching to one of the ammo pouches on his LBE, he pulled a twenty round stick and checked it to make sure it had the capital "A" for armor piercing painted on the side.

Looking around through his NVG one last time he inserted the new magazine in the well and chambered a round. Moving his NVG to the up position, Jap settled into his rifle, and found the 'spot weld,' the place where his cheek and the cheekpiece of the rifle stock was most comfortable for him. Without moving away from his rifle he said;"Bobby, start sweeping for unfriendly movement, let me know as soon as you get a read on any." Bobby Bauer didn't reply; he was already sweeping the area with his NV spotter scope.

02:25, INSIDE THE PRINCE CABIN

Even before the door could hit the floor, Matt and Steve Peterson were moving through the door followed closely by Tommy Martin. Matt went to the left while Tom and Steve moved to the right in a crouching shuffle. Matt and Steve had their AR10's mounted to their shoulders surveying the room for threats, while Tommy had his Glock 35, .40 caliber pistol doing the same thing. Tommy was using a two handed grip to steady and better control his pistol. Suddenly both bedroom doors opened at the same time. The room containing the three teenagers was nearest the kitchen and the basement door. While the boys seemed to be jammed in the doorway to the bedroom, trying to fight their way out, Delbert was standing by himself cradling a shotgun to his right hip. Matt stood up and took aim and said;"Drop it Prince."

Prince shifted his stance and triggered off a round in the direction of Matt's voice, Matt was hit in the chest and belly by a full load of .00 buckshot, causing him to be thrown backwards into the wall behind him. Before Delbert could trombone another round into his gun, Tommy opened up with his .40, Tommy fired all fifteen rounds in his gun at Prince, then dumped the empty magazine and loaded a full one, letting the slide slam home on a fresh round. Out of the fifteen rounds Tommy had fired, he hit Delbert four times, once in the right kneecap, once in the right hip, once in the right shoulder and a grazing wound to the right side of his head

When the shooting started, Launy and his boys finally made it through the door and ran for the basement. Bill Jordan was the first to get through the door, very much to his bad luck. When the door opened, Keener clicked off the rifles’ safety and started putting pressure on the trigger. When Jordan came running down the stairs, he held an open Buck knife in front of him, too fucking bad for him. As soon as Keener saw the knife, he fired three times, the first round shattered Bill's hip before taking out part of his pelvic girdle as it exited his body. The second round took Larry Alcorn in the left chest and the third round took off Launy's two outside fingers on his right hand. All three of them tumbled to the basement floor bleeding, moaning and crying. Jesse, after sparing them a quick glance continued working on Jacky.

02:27, THE FRONT OF THE PRINCE CABIN

Just after the door went down, the black Yukon eased its way up the driveway, totally oblivious to what was going on. That is until the four men exited the vehicle with their firearms ready, then all Hell was out for dinner. The first thing they were aware of was the front and then the rear tires were blown out. Then as if by magic, a line of holes appeared on the front fender that the vehicle’s motor was behind, a second later the engine seized up. Mitch was about fifteen yards or so to the front of the vehicle, and following the doctrine he was taught by the Gunny and Keener, he put four, three round bursts into the engine compartment. This had the effect of insuring that the vehicle would never run again and also of drawing the attention of the bad guys to him. One of Benny's men cut lose on him with the shotgun while Benny triggered a three round burst from his MP5 into his targets’ center of mass. The M60 flew from Mitch’s hands as he was knocked backwards. Seeing this through his scope, Jap did not hesitate for a second. Benny didn't even realize that he was dead as his body hit the dirt. Before the second man could move, he too was dead. Jap took to heart the credo of the sniper: "One Shot, One Kill."

The other two of Benny's team attempted to take shelter in the cabin, as they ran toward the steps leading to the front porch, the man on the left tried to bring his shotgun up when he heard;"Halt Police!" He fell forward sliding toward the steps, missing half his head.

"One Shot, One Kill." Jap thought with a grin.

The last man threw down his gun and as they used to say in the old time 'Horse Opera's,' from the 1940's and 1950's, reached for the sky while yelling;"Don't shoot, please don't shoot."

02:39 TRACTOR TRAILER FOUR

Doctor Davidson had the base station in the trailer of Tractor Four on and was listening to the commands and responses from the assault team when suddenly he heard;"Medic, Medic to the cabin." As he was about to punch the intercom switch to the tractor and tell the driver, Nelson Beck, to move on the cabin he heard another call go out;"Medic, Medic, twenty meters west of the cabin." He hurriedly finished hitting the transmit button;"Sonny this is Davidson, get me to the cabin as quickly as possible, we got people down."

The next thing he knew, Nelson had the rig moving forward and by the sound of the engine, he was shifting through the gears like a drag racer. Five minutes after he told him, Nelson was turning into the Prince Cabin driveway at a speed that threatened to turn the trailer on its side. Thirty seconds later he was slamming on the breaks. Not long after, the side door at the front of the trailer opened and Doctor Davidson jumped to the ground giving the area a quick survey. There on the ground just in front of the semi clearly illuminated by the headlights, lay a prone body with one boy kneeling beside it while two others maintained security in case more bad guys showed up. Looking closer he saw that the left leg was shredded from just above the knee to the ankle and it looked like the boy took a hit in the chest. As he rushed to the downed Squaddie he prayed;"Dear God, please let him survive."

Just as he went to his knees and started to open his medical kit, the boy started to groan and tried to sit up; he gently pushed the boy back down. Looking close, he saw the boy was Mitch Babcock and that it was his prosthesis that had taken the brunt of the shotgun blast. There was a little blood on his leg, but it seemed to be the ooze of a graze or a minor flesh wound, not the spurting blood of a major hit involving any arteries. The Doctor quickly checked his right leg and groin area to insure there was no damage in those locations. He looked to the Squaddie standing guard and said;"Your knife let me have your knife."

Marty Morton pulled his Ka Bar from its sheath and handed it to the doctor hilt first, never stopping his search of the area surrounding the compound. Doc Davidson took the knife and started cutting Mitch's left pant leg off just below his crotch. Once he got the pants leg off, he breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't find anything but two grazing wounds on the outside of the boys' leg and a tear in the material used for securing the prosthesis to his stump. He looked up at Mike Hedding the other security Squaddie and said;"Mike, set your rifle down and get his leg off for me while I check out his chest."

While Mike was doing as he was directed to, the Doctor ripped open Mitch's blouse and breathed another sigh of relief, Mitch had taken three rounds, one in the belly and to in the chest area. Thank God James and Matt had gotten Level III body armor for everyone; otherwise Mitch would have been dead.

The Doctor looked up at Marty and said;"Take off your ruck and put it under his head, if he has any problems breathing, yell for me."

Marty glanced down and said;"No problem Doc, we got him covered."

Getting to his feet, he trotted over to the Cabin and yelled out;"It's Doc Davidson, I'm coming in."

He immediately heard;"Come ahead Doc."

Rushing into the cabin he found Matt leaning up against the wall breathing slowly, the front of his MarCams looked like he was attacked by giant ripstop eating moths. Smiling a little, he pointed over to the open door on the other side of the room. The Doctor moved over to the door and saw Tommy Marten and Steve Peterson trying to stop Delbert Prince from bleeding to death.

The Doctor took over for Tommy and examined the entry wound at Prince’s hip; he saw that the .40 caliber bullet had struck him in the hip joint and after shattering the joint, exited to the rear of the joint while removing a large chunk of muscle. Unless he got a hip joint replacement, he'd never walk without crutches again. Gesturing to Tommy to apply direct pressure on the wound to try and staunch the bleeding he moved to Prince's shoulder. He examined the wound and determined that there was no immediate cause for concern, just some blood, and lots of bone splinters. Too bad, it might have been better if Tommy hit him square in the head instead of just grazing him. Looking at Tommy he said;"Keep up the direct pressure on both wounds; I'm going to find Jacky."

Moving to the basement door, he yelled;"In the basement, this is Doctor Davidson, I'm coming down."

As soon as he heard Keener say;"Come ahead." He descended the stairs and found Jacky lying on the floor with his head propped up smelling like a cesspool. Jesse had cut the shirt sleeve of his right arm and started an IV with Ringer's lactate and D5W and had tied the boy’s arm to a piece of doweling to keep his arm straight so the shunt in the elbow wouldn't be dislodged when they moved him.

Seeing that Jesse had done everything that could be done down here, he moved over to examine the other three boys Keener had lined up against the wall. Bill Jordan, sat with his back propped up on a crate. Larry Alcorn was on his back and Jesse was pressing a rubber glove on his chest wound, looking up from what he was doing he said to the Doctor;"This one has a sucking chest wound, I think his left lung collapsed. That fat tub of shit leaning against the wall only lost a couple of fingers." Jesse looked at Keener, giggled and admonished him;"Damn Kee, next time do a better job aiming."

Keener, who was watching the three teens to insure that they wouldn't try anything, glanced quickly at Jesse before saying;"Fuck you Jesse, I don't have to take this shit." Knowing that even though he was hurried just a bit, matters would have been much more simplified if he put all three of the teens down hard, instead of just wounding them.

While the doctor was working on the two more seriously wounded teens, Launy Prince leaned against the wall crying. Crying from the pain, crying from being humiliated in front of these people (yup, you guessed it, he pissed himself again) and crying because he knew he was going back to jail.

Jesse looked up towards the top of the stairs and saw several Unit one people hurrying down them. As the newcomers got to the bottom he heard the Unit One vehicles approaching the cabin and realized it was all over. Matt Bateman, slightly hunched over, slowly descended the stairs and knelt beside Jacky who was now aware of his surroundings. Looking down at him he started to speak;"How you do . . . . . ." When a short, intense individual in MarCams, Kevlar, LBE and semi-automatic rifle came flying down the stairs. Placing the rifle on the floor he moved to Jacky and gently placed his hands on the sides of his lover’s face and started to kiss him. Jacky could feel the tears from his boyfriend's eyes as they drenched his face and knew that the nightmare was over.

Matt, Tommy Martin and Doctor Davidson talked about what to do next, it was agreed that the State Police and the United States Marshal’s office, along with the INS should be notified immediately. Doctor Davidson added;"We need to get some 'Dust Offs' (MilSpeak for Helicopter Ambulances) in here to get these assholes to a Critical Care Unit ASAP. I also want to get Mitch and Jacky to an emergency room where we can get some imaging done" Matt made his way slowly up the stairs and out of the cabin where he located his cell phone jamming device and turned it off. Pocketing the device, he pulled out his cell phone and started making the notifications and the calls for emergency medical services.

Looking around, he thought to himself how lucky he and the Unit were that none of the boys were seriously injured. As he moved down the steps and over to where Mitch was, he heard the sounds of heavy engines approaching from the west, looking up he saw the vague outline of Snoopy 09 rapidly approaching. Keying his radio he said;"Snoopy 09, Snoopy 09, this is GhostRyder six, over."

Almost instantly he heard the voice of Major Hobson coming over his headset: "Six, this Zero Niner, what's your status, over."

"Zero Niner, Six, we got our boy, no injuries. We have a problem, we got what looks like several illegal down here who look like they were about to pull a hit on the occupants of the cabin. We're about to call in the Feds but could use some backup until help arrives, over."

"Ahh roger your last GhostRyder Six, I have fuel for approximately six, I say again six hours of loiter time. Over."

"Zero Niner, Six, could we ask you to monitor the area for other hostiles until the Feds show up? Over."

"Six, Zero Niner, roger, we'll keep you advised of vehicular traffic and persons on the ground, Zero Niner out."

Matt moved over to Mitch and knelt down alongside him and found the boy crying softly;"Mitch buddy, what's the matter, you okay?"

Mitch looked at Matt before responding;"Dad's gonna kill me, and if he doesn't Doc Allyn will. Them sons a bitches ruined my leg and my chest and belly hurts something fierce, the last thing my daddy said was to be careful and look what happened to me."

Matt laughed softly;"I know what you mean about the pain in your belly and chest, I took a load of buckshot from Del Prince, thank God we were wearing the Class III body armor or we'd be both be goners. Don't worry about your leg, I'll replace it for you, and I know Doc Allyn won't hold it against you. Shit man, better a titanium and plastic leg getting shot up than your biological one, you just stay put until we can arrange to get you home, and don't worry, that's an order."

Matt stood up and was moving back to the cabin as Larry Alcorn and Bill Jordan were being carried from the cabin to the trailer where Doctor Davidson had his emergency aid station set up. As the Doctor and Jesse were following the stretcher- bearers to the trailer, the Doctor gestured to Mike Hedding and Marty Morton to come with them.

Getting the Jordan boy on the first table, Doc Davidson got Alcorn on the second one before turning to Jesse; he looked at Marty Morton and Mike Hedding who were standing against the wall of the trailer out of the way. The Doc ordered;"Martin, remove Jordan's clothing, don't waste any time, and just cut it all off." Tuning to Mike he said;"Michael you do the same to Alcorn, when you get them stripped, take a bottle each of Betadyne, use those cotton gauze pads and wipe the area around their wounds down with it, don't worry about neatness, just get it done. When that's done, get dressed like we are and Michael you come over here and help me, Martin, you help Jesse."

Turning to Jesse he said;"Jesse, I really need your help here, I know you haven't the necessary training to do what I'm going to ask you to do, but if I don't get Jordan stabilized, he's dead. I need you to work on Alcorn while I do Jordan; you think you can do that?"

Jesse went pale;"Doc, I just did the First Aid course, I don't know if I can do anything really difficult."

"Jesse, if you don't at least try, one or both of these guys are going to die." The doctor was washing his hands in 180 proof alcohol as he talked, not having the time or the facilities to do a full scrub in. "Time’s short Jesse, I need help and you're it, you going to give it to me?"

Jesse swallowed hard and nodded his head yes;"I'll try Doc, but I'm scared shitless right now."

"Alright Jess, we have to get them set up on the patient monitor electronics, I want you to attach the blood/oxygen monitor on his right index finger."

Jesse nodded and took the gray plastic spring-loaded device of the top of the P.M. unit that would be monitoring Alcorn and attached it to the boys' finger, then asked. "Okay Doc, what next?"

"Next, attach the blood pressure cuff to his lower right leg, when you secure it in place, make sure you just snug it down."

Jesse took the cuff and worked it up Alcorn’s calf and snugged it in place using the Velcro strap;"Okay, it's in place."

"Good now place the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, set the regulator for two liters per minute. When that's done push the rocker switch to the 'On' position.” Following the doctor's orders, he completed the steps and pushed the switch. He was rewarded with a beeping from the monitor and low his as the blood pressure cuff started to cycle. After the machine monitored Alcorn’s BP, pulse and blood oxygen level, the results flashed up on the monitors’ screen.

Jesse studied them for a second before relaying their results to the Doctor;"Doc, BP is 85 over 49, pulse is 102 and his oxygen level is 93%."

The Doctor continued his prep of Jordan as he spoke: "Hmmm, increase the O2 to three liters per minute."

After he increased the oxygen level;"Okay Doc, what next?" Jesse asked.

The doctor looked at the shunt that Jesse had inserted into Alcorn's right elbow and nodded his head before saying;"Take the syringe and draw two cc's of Ketamine and inject it into the IV, keep the dosage as accurate as you can. Ketamine is a good field use anesthetic, but you don't want to over medicate him."

Jesse had practiced using a hypodermic needle by injecting saline solution into oranges, but this would be the first time he would be injecting anything into another person, even if it was through the medication port of the IV line. His hands, shaking a little, he picked up the hypo, removed it’s protective cap and pulled the plunger back until it was at the two and a half cc mark on the barrel of the hypodermic needle. He then picked up the small bottle of Ketamine and inserted the needle through the rubber stopper and pushed the plunger home. Jesse took a deep breath and let it out before pulling the plunger back out until the hypo had just a little more that two cc's of the drug in it. Removing the needle, he gently pushed the plunger in until some of the drug was forced out and the plunger was aligned with the two cc mark. Turing to the Doctor he nodded and then inserted the needle into the IV's medication port; slowly he injected the contents into the line until the plunger stopped.

The Doc looked at Jesse as he pulled on a set of surgical gloves;"Just do what I tell you and ask questions if you don't understand what I tell you. Come over here and wash your hands and glove up." Jesse hurriedly washed his hands with the alcohol after donning a surgical smock, a surgeon’s cap and mask.

When his hands were as clean as he could get them, he pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. Looking at the Doctor he took a deep breath and nodded his head indicating he was ready to start.

Marty looked at Mike, both the boys were pale and sweating, Marty thought to himself;"Geez, he looks like I feel, and I feel like I'm gonna puke my guts out any second now."

The doctor stepped up to the table and started talking as he worked on Jordan;"All right Martin, on your left look for the for a sealed package that's labeled 'Scalpel, open it and hand one to Jesse."

Both of the boys nodded. "Good, let's get started. Jesse, I want you to make a small skin incision between two ribs near the site of the wound, feel around and locate the right spot before you cut." As he was instructing Jesse, he was clamping off the ruptured blood vessels in Jordan's hip wound, without looking up, he said: "Michael." When he got no answer he looked over to see Mike staring at the wound. Raising his voice he said sharply;"MICHAEL, pay attention."

Mike quickly looked at the doctor and nodded;"Yes sir, sorry but I never done nothing like this."

The Doc nodded and went back to his work;"I know this is difficult for you, but you must pay attention, now take the round aspirator and use it to suck the blood out of the wound cavity so I can see what I'm doing." Mike hurriedly did as he was instructed, when it was temporarily free of blood he moved back. The Doctor told him;"Squeeze the bulb and expel the blood into the can over there."

Jesse looked up at the Doctor over Alcorn's chest;"What next Doc?"

"Martin, find the package labeled 'Trocar Probe,' open it and give it to him, Jesse I want you to use the probe to force a hole in the soft tissue and muscle between the ribs and the pleura sack that seals the thoracic cavity around the lungs where you made that incision, careful not to go too deep into the chest cavity."

Jesse took the probe and gently pushed it into and through the soft tissue between the ribs. When it wouldn't go through he said;"Doc, I can't get it to penetrate, what do I do now?"

"Jesse, you must be hitting a rib, retract the probe a little and try again.

Jesse pulled the probe back a little and tried again, when he felt it start to move easier, he stopped and withdrew it;"What now Doc?"

"Marty, open the packages labeled 'Surgical Adhesive Drape and Thoracic Drain.' Jesse, take the drape and place it over the wound and the drain puncture, take the tube attached to the drain assembly and insert it through the drape and the hole between his ribs. When you get it inserted, tape it in place and try to make sure you seal the puncture with the tape."

Jesse worked quickly, after following the Doctors instructions, he asked;"Okay Doc, what now?"

The doctor glanced up from his work and said;"Good, Marty attach the that small suction pump to the drain line and start it.” Martin, find the packages labeled "Hemostats," look for the package with the smallest number on it."

Marty rummaged through the packaged surgical instruments until he came across the hemostats;"Okay Doc, I got a 01 and a 02 here. Which one should I give him?"

"Give him the one marked '01'.” Looking up from his work on Jordan's hip he said;"Jesse, I want you to find all the damaged blood vessels you can and clamp them off using the hemostats, keep suctioning out the excess blood using the aspirator. Then try to clamp off as many arteries as you can." Together the man and boy fought to save the lives of two of the people who hurt their friend, wishing that they could just let them die, but knowing they couldn't.

As the doctor and the three Squaddies entered the trailer, Matt walked through the front door of the cabin, he heard yelling in the basement just as three holes appeared in the floor and the cheap chandelier in the center of the room and a picture of Dan Prince and his wife seemed to explode into a thousand pieces. Pulling his Desert Eagle .44 Magnum pistol from its holster, he ran to the basement doorway and took the steps three at a time heading down. Scanning the basement for threats as he reached the floor, he saw Launy Prince lying on his side with his hands over his face sobbing while a puddle of liquid formed near his crotch. Turning to Jacky, he saw Jap and Keener struggling to hold him down and disarm him. When Keener had bent over him to reassure, him everything was all right, Jacky had grabbed Kee's G21 from his shoulder holster and opened fire on Launy. If it hadn't been for Keener’s quick reactions and him grabbing Jacky's wrist, Launy's head would have been splattered all over the basement wall. As it was, Jacky had been able to get off four rounds before he ran out of cartridges. Keener has punched the magazine release button on the side of the pistol as he fought to keep Jacky from killing Launy. When the chambered round was fired after the magazine was dropped, the slide came out of recoil and slammed home on the empty chamber, all Jacky got was "click" when he pulled the trigger.

Matt rushed to the three struggling people and yelled at Jacky;"Knock it off Jacky; you almost took out some of your buddies upstairs."

Jacky shook his head and looked up at Matt, shook his head some more and passed out;"Fucking assholes!" Matt shouted, wishing Keener would have shot Launy through the head instead of just shooting his fingers off. Moving quickly to Jacky's side, and gently moving Jap out of the way, Matt saw the boy's chest rising and falling and figured Jacky had just passed out. Then he noticed the smell;"God in heaven, he smells like a gut pile that's been lying in the sun for three days, we need to get him cleaned up." He looked over at Launy cowering against the far wall and turned to Bobby Bauer;"Bobby secure his hands with some of those cable ties and get him to fuck out of here, if he gives you any shit, shoot him."

Little Bobby Bauer, the skinny little guy who Launy and his buddies had always made fun of looked almost happy at the orders Matt had just given him. "No problem Boss, that's one order I won't have any problem following."

Matt turned back to Jacky and started to remove his clothing when he felt Jap grab his wrist;"No Matt, let me do this, please?"

Matt nodded and got out of his way and signaled Keener to follow Bobby and make sure there weren't any 'accidents.'

Jap pulled his Ka Bar out and started to cut Jacky's clothes off him, when he removed his blouse and undershirt he saw the bruises from the beatings he had received. It took all his willpower to keep him from picking up his rifle and capping all of the rotten fuckers. He had to wipe his eyes often so that he could see what he was doing. When he had Jacky stripped out of his clothing, he asked Matt to help him move his lover away from the clothing to a cleaner spot on the floor. Together, the man and boy moved Jacky to the side away from where he had been held hostage for over two days. Jap found some halfway clean rags on the workbench and moistened them with water from one of his water bottles. As he gently cleaned Jacky's ravaged body, Jap couldn't stop crying.

As Matt watched the little redhead boy cleanse his boyfriend’s body, he heard over his headset;"GhostRyder Six this is Snoopy 09, over"

"Go for Six." Matt said into his mic.

"Ahh roger six, we got four vehicles with flashing lights heading your way from SR97."

"Snoopy 09, Six, roger your last, Six out."

Running up the stairs, Matt started giving orders over the Unit Net. By the time he got to the roadway, GhostRyder 25 had most of the dirt road fifty meters east of the drive blocked and just as Matt got to the LAV, a HUMVEE with one of the M60's mounted on a pedestal mount filled in the gap from the LAV to the other side of the road.

When the four Tribal Police SUV's got within sixty meters of the roadblock, they were suddenly illuminated by three 1,000,000 candlepower Q-Beam searchlights. The lead vehicle slammed on his binders (brakes) and skidded to a halt, causing the three other vehicles to rear-end each other. As the dust settled, the doors started opening and Tribal Policemen began exiting their vehicles armed with handguns and pump action shotguns.

Tommy yelled out to them; “This Deputy Sheriff Thomas Martin, Denton County Sheriff’s Department. I have a warrant signed by Federal Judge Marin Juxton for the arrest of Delbert Prince, Launy Prince, Bill Jordan and Larry Alcorn. You are to holster your firearms and return to your vehicles.”

Captain Jackson Eagletooth was starting to worry now; his long and profitable relationship with Don Prince was about to bite him in the ass. He didn't have any alternative but to try and bull his way through and try to make whoever had set up the roadblock back down. Pulling a bullhorn out of the his Eddie Bauer Excursion he ordered back: "This Captain Eagletooth of the Yakima Nation Tribal Police Force, you have no authority on the reservation, lower your weapons or we will open fire."

While Tommy and Eagletooth were arguing, Matt called on this radio; Snoopy 09 this is GhostRyder Six, over"

"Six, 09, go ahead over."

"09, Six, can you throw a shit storm on the road about twenty meters to the west of the vehicles with their flashers on? Over."

"Roger Six, keep your heads down, splash in five. Over."

Matt was just able to say;"Unit One, duck and cover." Before a green lance touched the surface of the road and a trench a half meter deep suddenly appeared across the road twenty meters in front of the Captain’s SUV. The green lance disappeared but a sound like someone moaning; “Unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnh,” was heard by everyone present.

When Matt looked again, all of the Tribal Policemen had gotten back in their vehicles and had the doors closed.

Matt looked up and said into his mic;"09, Six, perfect."

"Ahh roger six, be advised that you got more visitors in route to your location, I count 9 vehicles with flashing lights and what appears to be three helicopters. We been monitoring transmission from the copters to the ground units for the last couple of minutes, they sound like the Feds you called. I think it's time for me to go play somewhere else, good luck to you, Snoopy 09 out."

Just as Snoopy 09 was moving to greener pastures, two ATF, four U.S. Marshal and two INS vehicles stopped behind the four Tribal Police vehicles. Armed and armored men erupted from them surrounding the vehicles constantly on guard to insure the people in the vehicles wouldn't try anything.

Matt spoke into his mic;"All Unit One members, muster in front of the cabin, unload and safe your weapons.”