Read Online Sic Semper Tyrannis by Marcus Richardson - Free Book Online
Authors: Marcus Richardson
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and opened his mouth. The next thing he knew, it felt like he was flying. Then he was on his back and the world was reduced to a high-pitched ringing. He coughed some more and cracked an eye open.
Sergeant Pinner was on his knees, coughing, but gave him the thumbs-up. A massive cloud of dust was drifting north and billowing up into the sky. It blotted out the afternoon sun ushering in an early twilight. Erik could see bits of debris falling from the sky all around them, splashing into the calm Canaveral Barge Canal.
“Good Lord,” Erik said, coughing. He rolled over to his hands and knees and tried to get up.
“Well,” said Pinner, leaning against the tree. “I think that shut down the bridge for a while.”
“ Oorah! ” roared Ted’s voice over their radios. He laughed and coughed. “ These rednecks know how to party! Holy shit, that was awesome! I never expected a home-brew to go up like that! ”
Erik shook his head to clear his thoughts. He started to feel a bit light-headed and his hands shook. The last time he’d felt so out of sorts had been in the parking lot back home at the Freehold, when he’d killed the escaped prisoner that had tried to attack Brin and Susan…
He ignored the excited chatter that was going back and forth between Ted and Pinner. His mind was telling him he still wasn’t safe, despite the fact that the Russians milling around on the south back of the canal could do nothing at the moment to reach them other than take pot-shots with their rifles. God I just want to leave…run north with Brin…
The drone.
Those two little words shot through his spinning mind like lightning and he was suddenly on high-alert.
“ Where’s the Matvee, Pinner? They got a drone in the air—I spotted it before we beat feet here. We gotta get the hell out of here before that thing takes us out. They’ll be looking for blood, now. ” Ted’s voice had a distinct urgency to it.
Pinner’s smile vanished. “I stashed it over that hill there.” He turned to Erik and helped him to his feet. “Let’s go get the Major.”
CHAPTER 4
Wolverines!
ROB GUNN WIPED SWEAT from his forehead with the back of his hand and exhaled. He adjusted the hat on his head and said, “All right boys, one last heave ought to do it. On three.” He took one more look at his work crew. “Ready?”
“Let’s do this, I’m hungry,” said Nate Godfrey.
Rob grunted. “One…two… three! ” The six-man team groaned and strained as one and the heavy pine log they had man-handled all afternoon finally settled into place at the top of Redoubt #4 and nestled tight. Most of the team dropped to the ground and gave weak cheers.
Rob leaned against the stout wall, now a good two feet higher than his head and tried to catch his breath. I’m getting too old for this shit, he told himself. He sighed and knuckled his aching lower back. The coolness of the fresh-fallen wood was a welcome relief to his forehead.
Makes a nice patch of shade too. He stood back and thumped the wall with his gloved fist. The sound was dense and firm. Ought to be. Each log was at least two feet thick, good strong Arizona Scots Pines.
He nodded to himself. His eyes roamed the length of the redoubt, as it appeared to grow from the side of the mountain, curved south and again to the west. Put a walkway along the back of the wall and a man could stand up and shoot over the top, drop down to the ground and he’s invisible. He slapped the wall again. It’d take a tank to bust through these logs.
“Break time yet?” asked a hopeful voice from the other side of the redoubt.
Rob grinned. “You read my mind.” He took off his Stetson and looked up into the azure sky through the gently swaying pines that soared above. “Close enough to lunch time for us to rustle up some chow. C’mon boys.”
Nate whooped and Rob could
Sergeant Pinner was on his knees, coughing, but gave him the thumbs-up. A massive cloud of dust was drifting north and billowing up into the sky. It blotted out the afternoon sun ushering in an early twilight. Erik could see bits of debris falling from the sky all around them, splashing into the calm Canaveral Barge Canal.
“Good Lord,” Erik said, coughing. He rolled over to his hands and knees and tried to get up.
“Well,” said Pinner, leaning against the tree. “I think that shut down the bridge for a while.”
“ Oorah! ” roared Ted’s voice over their radios. He laughed and coughed. “ These rednecks know how to party! Holy shit, that was awesome! I never expected a home-brew to go up like that! ”
Erik shook his head to clear his thoughts. He started to feel a bit light-headed and his hands shook. The last time he’d felt so out of sorts had been in the parking lot back home at the Freehold, when he’d killed the escaped prisoner that had tried to attack Brin and Susan…
He ignored the excited chatter that was going back and forth between Ted and Pinner. His mind was telling him he still wasn’t safe, despite the fact that the Russians milling around on the south back of the canal could do nothing at the moment to reach them other than take pot-shots with their rifles. God I just want to leave…run north with Brin…
The drone.
Those two little words shot through his spinning mind like lightning and he was suddenly on high-alert.
“ Where’s the Matvee, Pinner? They got a drone in the air—I spotted it before we beat feet here. We gotta get the hell out of here before that thing takes us out. They’ll be looking for blood, now. ” Ted’s voice had a distinct urgency to it.
Pinner’s smile vanished. “I stashed it over that hill there.” He turned to Erik and helped him to his feet. “Let’s go get the Major.”
CHAPTER 4
Wolverines!
ROB GUNN WIPED SWEAT from his forehead with the back of his hand and exhaled. He adjusted the hat on his head and said, “All right boys, one last heave ought to do it. On three.” He took one more look at his work crew. “Ready?”
“Let’s do this, I’m hungry,” said Nate Godfrey.
Rob grunted. “One…two… three! ” The six-man team groaned and strained as one and the heavy pine log they had man-handled all afternoon finally settled into place at the top of Redoubt #4 and nestled tight. Most of the team dropped to the ground and gave weak cheers.
Rob leaned against the stout wall, now a good two feet higher than his head and tried to catch his breath. I’m getting too old for this shit, he told himself. He sighed and knuckled his aching lower back. The coolness of the fresh-fallen wood was a welcome relief to his forehead.
Makes a nice patch of shade too. He stood back and thumped the wall with his gloved fist. The sound was dense and firm. Ought to be. Each log was at least two feet thick, good strong Arizona Scots Pines.
He nodded to himself. His eyes roamed the length of the redoubt, as it appeared to grow from the side of the mountain, curved south and again to the west. Put a walkway along the back of the wall and a man could stand up and shoot over the top, drop down to the ground and he’s invisible. He slapped the wall again. It’d take a tank to bust through these logs.
“Break time yet?” asked a hopeful voice from the other side of the redoubt.
Rob grinned. “You read my mind.” He took off his Stetson and looked up into the azure sky through the gently swaying pines that soared above. “Close enough to lunch time for us to rustle up some chow. C’mon boys.”
Nate whooped and Rob could
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