Chapter 120

Flashback – Masha and Louise – Protest March

It was quite exciting being with the other women as we marched toward City Hall and chanted slogans. Things were going well until we reached City Hall and the police came out. The Sgt. whom I recognized from the other night had a bullhorn and announced, “Your march is illegal because you do not have a permit. Disband or we will arrest you.”

The women began to shout, “Hell no, we won’t go!” I joined them.

Louise grabbed my arm and said, “Masha we need to leave because if we get arrested they will take Linda from me.”

I looked at Louise and noted she was frantic so I said, “Okay Louise, we will leave for Linda’s sake.”

We turned, began to leave and realized that the police had taken up a position behind us. The other women marchers charged the police in front while Louise and I tried to escape through the rear of the crowd. The police stopped us and one of them said, “You’re not going anywhere except to jail.”

Louise began to cry, the police officer roughly grabbed Louise (which was uncalled for) and I took over. I quickly put him on his rear and stated, “We are just trying to leave. We did not know marching was illegal without a permit.”

Unfortunately, this incited the other police officers to charge me. They were armed with batons and I had nothing. The other women realized what was happening, turned and attacked the officers who began to beat them with the batons. I became enraged and began to kick their rears using my Krav Maga skills. Finally the nice police officer came up and ordered, “Masha, stop fighting us - now.”

I informed him, “I will not cease until the other officers stop beating the women with their batons.”

He prevailed upon the other officers to stop so I prevailed upon the women to stop. Now things were at a standstill. The Sgt. came up and ordered, “Arrest all of them, especially that one.” He pointed at me.

I complained, “I was just protecting the women your officers were beating.”

The Sgt. ordered, “Save your breath for the judge.”

They took all of us into the police station, which was adjacent to City Hall, and began to process us. Louise whispered to me, “Masha, I hope that Linda is okay.”

I noticed something and put her mind at ease, “Michael is here and is holding Linda so I’m sure that he will take care of her.”

Michael and Linda waved, then they left the station. Louise sighed and said, “I never figured this would happen, who knew there was a law against marches.”

I frowned and confessed, “Louise this is partially my fault because I was swept away in the excitement of the moment.”

Louise replied, “I did see the television stations broadcasting this, perhaps they will help.”

I began to help some of the women who were injured by the officers batons and the Sgt. scolded, “Ma’am what are you doing?”

I glared at him and replied, “I’m rendering aid to these women that your officers beat with their batons.”

The Sgt. developed a questioning look on his face and questioned, “Don’t I know you from somewhere?”

Louise replied for me, “You should know her - she’s the one who helped you catch the rapists!”

He said, “No wonder I recognize you. What the hell were you doing today?”

I replied, “We were exercising our right to complain about how this police department didn’t catch the rapists for more than twenty years. That’s ... That’s ... That’s a travesty of justice.”

One of the ladies stood and announced, “Don’t worry ladies. I’m a lawyer and we’re going to sue the hell out of this police department and city. By the time we’re through with them they will never make this mistake again.”

The women began to cheer and the Sgt. complained, “Are you trying to start another riot?”

I walked up to him and counter complained, “We never started a riot. We participated in a peaceful march until your officers over reacted and began to beat the women with their batons.”

The lawyer stated, “It’s an obvious case of police brutality and I can’t wait to grant interviews with the television stations. Not only did the police fail to catch the rapists, they beat the women who had been assaulted by the rapists. I bet this makes national news!”

A man walked up and identified himself, “I’m the mayor and I’m here to personally apologize for what just happened.”

The women began to complain, “Aren’t you late – he’s always late – we don’t accept your apology.”

The lawyer replied, “They are right - it’s too late for an apology. Your police force beat defenseless women with their batons.”

He pointed at me and stated, “Don’t blame me, she’s the one who started it when she attacked the officers.”

The lawyer defended me, “Get your head out of the sand! This is the woman who’s been doing the job your police department should have been doing. Just in case you don’t recognize her, she’s the one who stopped the teenage gang of bus attackers and she just helped your police force capture the rape gang. Instead of blaming her, you should be giving her an award.”

The mayor recanted, “I’m sorry I didn’t know that. Please forgive me Ms.”

The other women began to complain again, “Of course you didn’t – you couldn’t see your nose in a mirror! Yes she does deserve an award.”

I smiled and stated, “I would just like re-instatement of the 24 hour police protection in front of my house that I was promised by the base commander.”

The mayor looked a little sick and said, “Don’t tell me, your name is Maria Reynolds.”

I affirmed, “That is correct.”

He looked at the Sgt. and asked, “Why hasn’t this police department continued to provide the round the clock protection as we agreed with the base commander?”

The Sgt. replied, “Well, we needed the manpower for other operations.”

The mayor said, “That’s unacceptable.” Then he looked at me and said, “I hope that you don’t tell the base commander about this...”

I interrupted, “ ... I plan on informing him today and ask him if he can provide Military Police to protect my house and family.”

He turned to the Sgt. and ordered, “Sgt. release all these women immediately.”

The lawyer stated, “Don’t think this is going to save your ass. The first thing I’m doing is talking to the television stations and then filing lawsuits.”

Louise and I walked out of the police station and were accosted by the television stations. I said, “I have nothing to say, other than I plan on teaching free Krav Maga classes to the women of this city.”

Louise said, “I have a few things I would like to say.” She gave a huge interview to the television station and mentioned her Auntie Masha many times. It was all I could do to keep from blushing.

When Louise was finished, I noticed Michael in the parking lot, holding Linda. I grabbed Louise’s arm and moved toward him.

He said, “I didn’t think you two would be released so soon.”

Linda cooed and reached for Louise. Louise took Linda and announced, “We had a lawyer in our group and she put the fear of God into the mayor and the police.”

Michael suggested, “Well, perhaps we can finish shopping for your furniture.”

We returned to the furniture store and purchased Louise’s new furniture...

Flashback – Ben – On the mission

I was thankful as hell the towelheads didn’t have NV gear since it made this mission, which was still dangerous, move from impossible to practical. I slipped into the night after a great sendoff by the other Marines and began to scan the area around me. I noticed a few flickers of light in a few of the buildings. I determined they were candles, so I worked my way toward them. One of the problems was keeping the fucking noise down while I walked since the ground was littered with pieces of destroyed buildings. Much of the debris was from our artillery, but some was from the fucking earthquakes and it all made nasty crunching noises under my boots. I finally figured out a solution so I sat down, pulled my only pair of spare socks out of my pack and slide them on over my boots. I stood up and began to walk and while I wasn’t totally quiet, it was much better.

I approached the first house, if you could even call it that because it was more like a collection of walls with a shitty roof on top of it that I was sure wouldn’t keep out any rain (not that we got much rain here). There were holes in the wall that functioned as windows but had no glass in them, just some shitty assed blankets or rugs covering the ‘window holes’. I stopped outside, listened and sure as hell didn’t like what I heard.

I heard a man grunting and a girl crying. I slowly and carefully moved the blanket covering the window hole and was pissed as hell when I saw a full grown man on top of a young teenage girl. My first instinct was to shoot the fucker and end his miserable life, but I knew that would alert every other towelhead in the area. So I slowly slipped into the hovel of a room, pulled my Ka-Bar, slipped up behind him and slit the mother fucker’s throat. The young girl quickly covered herself and looked scared until I showed her the American flag on my uniform. Then came the problem: How to tell her to head to the hospital with her robes open. We moved to the window, I pointed to the hospital, opened my jacket and made sure she understood. She smiled at me, hugged my hand and I watched her head out of the hovel toward the hospital holding her robe open. I hoped like hell Jack or the other Marines didn’t shoot her.

I searched the rest of the room, found an AK, took one of my frag grenades, pulled the pin and set the AK on top of it holding the handle down. Then I slipped out the other side of the hovel and headed toward the next flicker of light.

Flashback – Jack – At the hospital

I was almost asleep when one of the Marines knocked on the door and said, “Sgt. you need to see this.”

I jumped out of bed, kicked Tod’s bed and said, “Come on.”

He woke up and followed me out of the room, I asked, “What the hell did you see.”

The Cpl. answered, “Sgt., there is a young girl walking toward the hospital - she has her robes open.”

I put on my NV gear, looked and swore, “Well, I’ll be damned, it looks like Banzai’s mission is working.”

I announced in my command voice to the rest of the night watch, “Make sure you don’t shoot her.” Then I added, “Someone wake up the doctor and nurses and tell them they have a patient coming in.”

Lieutenant George finally showed up and asked, “Sgt. Reynolds, what’s going on.”

I replied, “We have the first freed captive from Banzai’s mission coming in. Do we have a terp (interpreter) here?”

Lieutenant George ordered, “Someone go wake up the terp.”

The doctors and nurses showed up and I said, “We have a young girl, possibly early teens coming in to the hospital. Banzai rescued her from the towelhead rapists so she going to need some medical care.”

That lit a fire under their asses! They wanted to meet her outside the hospital but I cautioned, “That’s not going to happen, however you can meet her at the door.”

The met her at the door and she smiled when she saw the nurses. One of them picked her up and they hauled ass to the examination room they set up earlier.

The terp showed up and I cautioned, “That girl has been through more hell than you could imagine. If you traumatize her anymore I will throw your ass out of the window.”

He assured me he understood, knocked on the door to the room, a nurse came out and told him he couldn’t enter at this time because they were examining the girl...

Flashback – Ben – On the mission

I was happy with how the first rescue worked, even though it scared the shit out of the girl when I slit the bastard’s throat. I didn’t hear any weapons fire so I figured she made it to the hospital fine.