Inside the Hotel Kelly found Dunstan frantically working away at his computer; his skin was pale and a handgun rested on the table next to his computer.
“Dunstan,” Kelly called.
“I know.”
Kelly marched towards the stairs and said, “Get in contact with Connors. Patch him through to my earpiece. And watch Penelope.”
“What is it?” Penelope cried. “Kelly, what’s happening.”
Kelly did her best to remember that Penelope was still just a little girl, and no doubt she was scared to death by all this talk. She knelt down so they were face to face and brushed a lock of hair behind Penelope’s ear.
“Some bad people are coming this way,” Kelly explained softly. “But it’s okay because we’re going to tell them very politely to leave us alone. Everything is going to be fine as long as you stay with Dunstan and do exactly as you’re told. Do you understand?”
Penelope nodded, her eyes were panicked.
With Penelope taken care out Kelly rushed into her room, unlocked her wardrobe and retrieved her rifle case. She was already putting the weapon together when Agent Connors connected through to her earpiece.
His voice crackled. “Lieutenant.”
“We need evac now.” Kelly finished assembling the rifle and tested the sight by picking a target far outside her window.
“Have you checked that the line—”
“It doesn’t matter who’s listening anymore,” Kelly snapped. “The cult are sending an attack force towards headquarters. We have civilians here. Get us out now.”
She waited longer than she would have liked for a response.
“I don’t have the authority to send reinforcements into the demilitarised zone,” Connors finally replied. “Without evidence of—”
“Christ, Connors, what more do your people need?”
“We need Anton’s interface either destroyed or in our possession. Until then we can’t risk overtly engaging any of Anton’s people. He’s too well connected. You know this.”
“I can’t get you Anton.” Kelly collected her sidearm, combat knife and ammunition belt. “Is there anything you can do?”
“I won’t have time to send a sanctioned team.”
“Then send an unsanctioned team, Blacks Ops, anyone.”
“I’m sorry Lieutenant, I can’t help you.”
Kelly ended the call and murmured, “Bureaucratic asshole.” Then, back down the stairs she called out, “Dunstan.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
“Any ideas?”
“I got one but it’s not very subtle.”
“Now’s hardly the time. Let’s hear it.”
“Okay, about six months back the US army lost a predator drone somewhere over cultist territory. In my preliminary investigation I found out that the drone was passed over to Gustav, but guess who also had an access code.” He tossed her a device that looked like a permanent marker. “Targeting laser. I’ve logged our biometrics so the drone won’t accidentally target us, but you’ll have to watch for civilians.”
Kelly nodded and strode towards the door. She called to Penelope, who was sitting on top of the bar. “I need you to do something for me, come on.”
Penelope quickly ran after Kelly.
“I need you to get a message to everyone in the town: the cult are attacking, if you can fight then come to the hotel, if not then get to the town hall and stay together. Make sure they pass it on. Go now, quick.”
Penelope ran off towards a pair of civilians standing just down the street. In a matter of minutes there were in a frenzy, but everything seemed to be in control. Almost a dozen men and women converged on the Hotel armed with rifles; Kelly learned that two of them were military trained, one was a retired sheriff, and four were only teenagers. Kelly urged them to hang back if it came to any real fighting but they wouldn’t hear it.
“The cult ruined our lives,” a man yelled.
“I’d like to see them try get away with this,” said a woman.
“Anton’s cult won’t be taking this position without a fight,” Kelly addressed all of them. “Trust me, I’m glad you’re here, but my primary objective is keeping you alive.”
Kelly singled out the two with military experience, both marines; a stocky man, older then everyone but the sheriff; and a stern-faced woman who was also much older than Kelly.
“They’re coming from the east.” Kelly led the two towards the edge of the town. “We need to prepare some defences.”
The town was built along one main road with another branching off downhill. To the north were high rocky hills and to the south further down was the river. The east road curved towards an open valley, which meant that Gustav and his forces would be forced to approach in full view of the town.
“What are you thinking?” Kelly asked her new advisors.
“First off, we barricade the road before the fork,” said the man. He pointed to a narrow part of the road where a ditch and a thicket of trees made it impossible for a vehicle to go around any obstructions. “Here. That might force them out of their vehicles. We can use the terrain further back for cover, or even fetch some hay bales from the barn. We can fit two or three rifles on either side of the road.”
“Good, but if they keep pushing we won’t be able to hold them there,” said Kelly. “If Gustav advances we’ll need to retreat. No heroics.”
“That water tower will make a good sniper position,” said the woman.
She was referring to the tower positioned in the centre of the town. Kelly agreed, thinking that it offered a perfect view of the valley to the east, the road on both sides of the town, and it would enable her to move to the front lines or fall back quickly. The woman, looking at Kelly’s rifle, assumed that the Lieutenant would be taking up the tower position.
“I saw some C4 in Santiago’s little armoury,” Kelly pointed out. “Your town, your call if we want to use explosives.”
“We can put it just past the first barricade,” said the man. “Anywhere near the buildings is out of the question. And we only use it as a last resort.”
Kelly and the woman nodded in unison.
Kelly then laid out the rest of the plan. “We place you two, the sheriff, and one of the others at the forward barricade. When things start getting hot you fall back to a secondary barricade here, just under the water tower. We’ll hide the civilian personnel in the town hall with one of the younger volunteers watching them. That leaves someone posted at the fork on top of the garage, and the rest along these upstairs windows along the main street. I’ll take the water tower. I’ll keep Dunstan in the hotel manning the drone. Any questions?”
“No ma’am.”
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