Blue Plague: Decisions, page 7
“Ah, no Dad. He’s not as good as she is,” Jake pointed out.
“That’s a good point. We’ll have to let Buffy give him some more lessons,” Bruce told him.
“Can I give them now?” Buffy asked over the intercom with excitement in her voice.
“No, not right now Buffy, maybe later,” Bruce told her.
Ted came over the radio, “Bruce, that’s being kinda mean. She really likes going Grand Theft Auto on the blues.”
“Ted, she’s my daughter so back off,” Bruce warned.
“I’m just saying Bruce, she loves going GTA on them,” Ted called back.
“Ted, you know the predator machete I carry on my hip?” Bruce asked.
“Yeah,” Ted answered.
“It has a name, do you want me to introduce ya?” Bruce asked.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, giving all your blades names? That’s just not right. You’re only supposed to name your rifle!” Ted yelled back.
“Ted, it’s Danny, my knife’s name is Gene. He is so nice to me and we play all the time,” Danny told him.
“Man that’s not funny, Danny. Herman almost made me wet my pants!” Ted yelled over the radio.
“What do you mean almost, Ted. You pissed all over yourself,” Carl said over the radio.
“Who’s Herman?” someone asked over the radio.
“Buffy’s knife, and if she asks you if you want to play with Herman just smile and back away,” Ted called over the radio.
“Man, you need to quit,” someone else said on the radio.
“What, you don’t believe me? I have video of it boy, piss her off, or heaven forbid Danny, and they will chop it off and play with it in the dirt!” Ted yelled out over the radio.
“Man, you better be fuckin’ with us,” came over the radio.
“Hell no, Bruce’s kids are insane son, not as bad as he is. They ride the wave, taking bets who gets the most kills!” someone shouted over the radio.
“Man, come on, they’re just kids,” someone else said.
“Tell you what, if you’re bad, piss one of them off. Just make sure it’s not Buffy or Danny and make sure they aren’t around. I promise you will be buried in a shallow grave,” Willie told everyone.
“Yeah, but when the shit hits the fan, fuck the ghost busters. Call for Bruce or his kids,” Ted called out.
“Ted, you remember that gang member that shot at Danny in Oak Grove?” Carl asked.
“Hell yeah, she charged his ass and beat the shit out of him, then took out her knife and cut that boy up big time. Yelling ‘how dare you shoot at me asshole!’” Ted called out.
The new members of Omega didn’t know what to make of all the Ranger banter and the veterans were having a ball with it. Bruce was on the floor of the RG laughing, listening to them. When Carl announced that Danny shot anyone who acted like a pussy, several wanted to know just how a pussy acted. When Ted told everyone that Mary loved to break people’s legs to see them crawl, Bruce wanted them to shut up before he wet his pants.
It was 1515 when they reached the rally point ten miles from the camp. With the UAVs overhead, Mission Control informed them that the gang was locked inside the camp. Bruce led Omega on foot the last ten miles to the camp, reaching it at 1730. They spread out to wait.
First Platoon was on the south side and Bruce was watching the gate through his binoculars. Hearing a suppressed shot, he turned around to see Jake lowering his pistol. Bruce turned in the direction he was aiming and saw a lone blue twenty yards away. “Where did that come from?” Bruce asked.
“Have no idea, it was just walking towards us looking up at the sky,” Jake replied.
“All units, this is Big Daddy. We just shot a blue here. If you see one, shoot it with a pistol or sniper rifle, something suppressed. We’re too close to the camp for rifle fire, do you copy?” Bruce called over the radio and everyone replied back as Bruce called Mission Control. “Hey are you guys asleep or what? That damn thing was right on us,” Bruce said.
“This is Big Daddy Two and it just popped out. By the time we saw it someone shot it,” Mike called back.
“Okay, but watch our ass, I’m not in the mood for hand-to-hand with blues. Maybe next week but not today,” Bruce called back.
“You aren’t in the mood to get hands on? What drug are you on? Did you forget your sword or big knife?” Mike asked.
“I just want to save ‘em for later, now watch our ass,” Bruce said. He looked up at Jake. “Jake, you have the platoon. I’m going to see where that fucker came from and if it had friends,” Bruce told him.
Bruce got up and Buffy followed with Danny behind her. Bruce just looked at them. Not in the mood to argue, he just headed to the blue. Reaching it, he saw it was a female and young. Readying his rifle, he eased down the slope, following her path, and then noticed more footprints. Bruce held up his hand for Buffy and Danny to stop. Then he pointed to the footprints.
Moving forward slowly, Bruce noticed the tracks leading to some bushes. Walking around the bushes Bruce saw a hole about four foot tall and two feet wide. Bruce pulled the girls back and pointed to the small hole.
Bruce keyed his radio, “Jake, I have a small hole down here that looks like a cave. Send out two men a hundred yards in each direction to see if they find more. Then call the other teams and have them do the same,” Bruce whispered. Jake said he understood and Bruce looked at Buffy and Danny. He pointed to himself, then the hole. Then he pointed to them and where they were standing as he moved off, knowing they would want to fight about it.
Slinging his rifle, he pulled out his pistol, made sure the suppressor was seated and moved around to the hole. Lowering to his knees, he moved forward and noticed bodies inside the hole. Seeing that, he wanted to just throw a grenade inside but that would tell the hostiles they were here. Taking a deep breath because the smell was making his eyes water, he eased forward.
Easing in the small hole on his knees, his pistol pointed forward, he saw it was a cave with an area about ten by twenty feet with a six-foot ceiling. What he was looking at were the seven blue bodies on the floor. Aiming at the closest one’s head, Bruce squeezed the trigger and moved to the next one and squeezed. Snapping his pistol from head to head, he had five down as number six sat up only to be shot between the eyes. Moving to the last one, Bruce saw it was a male taking a deep breath as Bruce shot him in the face three times.
Changing magazines as the breath he was holding exploded out of him, Bruce swept his pistol over the bodies as he eased further inside. Then he noticed the last one he shot, the male that was fixing to roar. His body was moving and Bruce shot him in the back of the head, well what was left of the head. But the body continued to move from side to side. ‘What the hell? I have to blow you up now,’ Bruce thought as he shot the body in the back.
Just then a small blue body crawled out from under the dead male blue. It was the size of a five-year-old but moved incredibly fast. Bruce shot as the blue child jumped ten feet to the other side of the cave, hitting it in the leg. When it landed it collapsed in a heap. The blue demon spawn turned and hissed at Bruce and he saw it had a mouth of really sharp fucking teeth. That was all Bruce wanted to see as he squeezed the trigger ten times until the slide locked. Dropping the empty mag, he slammed in another one, trying to calm his breathing down. Not one to frighten easy, the small demon had scared the shit out of him.
“Dad, what the fuck is going on in there!” Danny called over the radio.
“I found Rosemary’s baby,” Bruce told her as he kicked the bodies to see if he saw any more demon spawn. Seeing several blues were pregnant, he shot them again. Bruce left the cave and headed back to Danny and Buffy. “The little ones can really fucking move fast,” he told them.
“You mean faster than the big ones?” Danny asked.
“Danny, I just saw one no bigger than the twins leap ten feet from a kneeling position,” Bruce told her.
“That’s really not fair, Daddy,” Danny told him.
“Well, we just have to kill them faster, sweet pea,” Bruce told her, leading them back to Jake. Jake reported that none of the other teams had found any caves. Bruce opened his radio and told Omega and Mission Control about the blue kangaroo demon spawn.
When he was finished he addressed the teams. “Omega teams, pull into tight coils until attack. No sleeping period, and support, you will stay inside the vehicles and button up. Under no circumstances are you to open up for those little blue kids,” Bruce told them.
“Who’s Rosemary’s baby, Daddy?” Buffy asked.
“An old movie from the seventies about a woman who gave birth to Satan’s child,” Bruce answered.
“Rosemary must have been a skanky whore then, sleeping with the devil,” Buffy stated as they walked back. Bruce laughed as they joined back with First Platoon.
Omega waited as the sun went down and everyone turned on night vision and thermal. They were over the ridge in case the gang was using thermals on the vehicles. At 0100 Bruce climbed up to the crest to look at the compound. He noticed several lights on and fires burning in barrels. “Has any over watch team seen the Strykers or Bradleys move?” Bruce called out.
“Negative Big Daddy, I’ve been watching since we got here and haven’t even seen the vehicles open up. If someone is inside they’ve been sweating their ass off and they have never cranked up either,” Willie called back.
“Have the guards changed again?” Bruce asked.
“Negative, they all look like they’re asleep,” Willie told him. Bruce lifted up his rifle and looked at the camp through the thermal and found the six guards. They all looked asleep like Willie said.
“Omega, we roll now just like we planned,” Bruce called over the radio. He motioned for First Platoon to follow him down. Moving slowly, First, Second, and Fourth Platoon moved down to the camp. It was laid out in a big rectangle. The compound at one time had been a mobile home park about ten acres in size. There was a ten-foot chain-link fence around it that the gang had since strengthened in places. There were twenty mobile home trailers, ten on each end of the rectangle with six semi-trailers in the middle. Bruce knew from the UAV that the hostages were held there. There was a large metal building in the far right forward corner; they had no idea what was inside it. Behind the building were more semi-trailers. Bruce figured it was a mess hall because the gang all moved through it during the day, and the trailers were used for storage. When he was a hundred yards away he notified Willie. Then Second and Fourth called Willie when they were at a hundred yards from the compound.
Willie notified his twelve snipers—two snipers each had been assigned to each guard—and all pulled the trigger, almost at the same time. Bruce watched the guard’s head closest to him disappear. “Clear to engage,” Willie called back. Bruce led his team to the fence and one of them ran up and started using bolt cutters on the fence. When they were done Bruce led them through. Each platoon was broken down into ten, five-man squads. For First Platoon, First and Second Squads were taking the big metal building. Squads Three through Six were fanning out to take out targets of opportunity in the compound, and Seven through Ten were heading to the hostages. Each mobile home was getting at least one squad from Second and Fourth Platoon.
When Bruce reached the door to the metal building, he waited for Willie to give him the go ahead. He only had to wait a few minutes, then Willie said, “Game time.” Bruce reached out and slowly opened the door and saw it was indeed a mess hall/party area. It was eighty feet long and forty feet wide, with tables in two rows running the length of the hall. From the light of several gas lanterns, he saw sleeping figures on several of the tables.
Easing inside, Bruce pointed to his squad to take the left and Squad Two to take the right. Making a quick count, Bruce put the targets at thirty-four. The only other door he saw was on the other end of the building. Pulling his pistol, Bruce walked up to the first person he saw. It was a man, snoring softly. Bruce lowered his pistol to his head as the rest of the squad passed him by, choosing the next target. Mindy, who was last, pointed her pistol at a sleeping figure as Bruce pulled the trigger, followed by everyone else a split second later.
All the targets started moving at the sound of the suppressed shot. Bruce moved to the center aisle, shooting two more targets. The rest of the team formed a line across the hall and started shooting any target they came to, knocking out others who didn’t even have time to wake up. Many of the targets in the hall were shot twice as the team moved down the hall. By the time Bruce was halfway down the hall, he didn’t see any more moving. They checked the bodies that had been shot and didn’t find anyone alive. The ones knocked out were being tied up. Bruce called Willie and told him the building was clear and they were coming out. Bruce led the team back out the door they’d come in.
When they were outside, Bruce heard the other teams calling clear. Five minutes later Willie called Bruce. “Boss, we have an all clear from all teams,” he reported.
“Copy that. Get Third Platoon down here inside the fence,” Bruce told him.
“Thank ya boss, it’s spooky out here at night,” Willie called back.
“Support, roll to our location. Mission Control, launch the wagons to get the hostages,” Bruce called. He looked up and noticed teams leading prisoners to the center of the compound. “Well shit,” Bruce said out loud.
“Dad, you don’t have to do it,” Jake told him. Bruce turned to see Jake standing beside him.
“Yes I do son. If I don’t, it will be seen as a sign of weakness,” Bruce told him, looking at the growing number of prisoners, watching the numbers grow. Willie ran over to him.
“Damn, talk about textbook, Boss. From the time the snipers took out the guards to all clear, eighteen minutes. All squads report no wounded and we’re doing a body count, prisoner count, and hostage count now,” Willie said, stopping beside him.
“Let me know the numbers,” Bruce said, hearing the support vehicles coming down the road. The gates were opened and the vehicles all pulled inside. It was a tight fit but they accomplished it. Bruce headed to the RV to find a familiar face coming out of the door.
“Bruce, just shoot ‘em,” Cook said, seeing a change in Bruce’s eyes. It was a change he was thankful for.
“No Cook, I started something and it has to continue,” Bruce told him.
“Where, sir?” Cook asked. Bruce pointed to the metal building he had just come out of. Cook grabbed two bags and called several soldiers over to help. Cook dropped one bag by Bruce and reached inside and grabbed another one and headed to the hall.
Bending down, Bruce grabbed the bag Cook had dropped at his feet. Opening it up, he found the branding irons. He turned and handed them to Jake. “Heat ‘em up.” Jake grabbed the bag and headed to one of the fires. Bruce climbed into the RV and sat down. Closing his eyes, he started to prepare for what was coming.
An hour later Willie called Bruce over the radio, “Hey Boss, where are ya?”
“RV,” Bruce called back.
A few minutes later Willie climbed in and saw the look in Bruce’s eyes. “You alright Boss?” he asked.
“Yeah, what’s the count?” Bruce asked.
“Two hundred thirty-six dead, three hundred and nine hostages, and sixty-two prisoners,” Willie told him.
“Sixty-two prisoners!” Bruce yelled at him.
“Yeah Boss, the teams got the entire command group. That’s what they’re used to doing,” Willie told him. Bruce looked up at the ceiling. ‘Oh boy have you dug yourself a deep hole,’ he thought.
“Ted, Carl, RV,” Bruce called over the radio. When they arrived Bruce looked at the three. “Get the platoons and start branding them dead and alive. Carl, you have a fan following now since you questioned several groups of prisoners. Requests have come in over the ham for you to keep doing it. You don’t have to but I just wanted you to know,” Bruce told him.
“Oh hell yeah I’ll do it, Vestri Permaneo Visum pro Nex,” Carl said, reciting the motto. “Hey Boss, can I say my name?” Carl asked.
“If you do, you become marked. I told them mine so they wouldn’t hurt any of you to find it out. I still wouldn’t give out your last name. Just in case you have family out there somewhere,” Bruce told him.
“That’s why you give your name?” Ted asked.
“Yeah,” Bruce told him.
“Damn, I thought you did it just to be a bad ass,” Ted said, realizing Bruce had been trying to protect them.
Bruce pointed to a radio on the table. “Call Mission Control when you start. They are going to record from that radio,” Bruce told them. “Rotate judge watchers starting with the new guys first,” he told Carl and Ted as they walked out.
Willie came over to Bruce and sat beside him. “Bruce, just let me shoot ‘em,” Willie said.
“No Willie, then we lose the fear,” Bruce told him.
“Well Boss, they’re afraid. When one of them saw the Omega patch he just fell down crying, peeing everywhere,” Willie told him. “Boss, let me do these for ya,” he offered.
“Nah Willie, I have this, I’m just tired and we have a shitload to do. Go make the offer to the hostages. Then I’m going to teach targets to fall down,” Bruce told him, standing up.
“I’m glad to hear you say targets,” Willie said.
“After the judges are picked, put twenty in the cages for bait,” Bruce told Willie as he left. Bruce stripped down to his boxers and put on his sandals. As he stepped outside, Danny ran over.
“Daddy, how many judges?” she asked.
“Pick five,” Bruce told her, rolling his head from side to side and popping his neck. Walking over to the prisoners, he saw Carl talking to them, or trying to. When the prisoners saw Bruce they all started screaming. When they saw him just in his underwear, they knew the stories were true. Even with hands and feet bound they tried to inchworm away.
“Look at you little pussies trying to get away. I wish you people at home could see this, Bruce walks over here in underwear and they start crying,” Carl said into the radio. “This is Carl here at the latest Omega rescue and the hostiles don’t even appreciate it. I mean we killed two hundred and thirty-six in eighteen minutes and they don’t even appreciate the skill.”
