Section 31

“It really sucks we can’t just sit back and enjoy the evening.” Dana groused. “This is like being in a planetarium. Watching for mad bombers, drug-addled snipers and paid assassins kinda spoils the mood.”

Overhead, the Milky Way cut a brilliant stripe across the clear, star speckled sky. No moon, no clouds and no light pollution creating a positively brilliant night, Mother Nature turned cosmic jeweler, spreading her finest diamonds against a black velvet dome.

“Long, long ago, far, far away, we thought two weeks of sun, sand, sex and supper was the peak of Spring Break excitement. What more can they throw at us that we haven’t beaten already? Maybe we should be on the lookout for Godzilla and cloaked Klingon ‘Birds of Prey’?” Lanie wondered, imagination getting a little wild. “They would be visible as blocked areas of the star field.”

“The K’Vort-class birds might block the light. The B’rei-class might be too small to notice.” Rachael reasoned, “But Godzilla would show on sonar and IR, assuming radioactive fire-breathing lizards are warmer than ambient temperature.”

“Who knew a bunch of Art Department professors were sci-fi Trekkie geeks?” SuLing asked from the front.

“That’s Trekker to you.” Amy insisted. “Who do you think illustrate the comic books and design the props? That would be art majors. Storyboards and comics are all the same. Someone has to tell the CGI nerds what to G. Movies and TV are just really fun research.”

“Not all Trekkers live in their momma’s basement. Some of us actually get out and live the dream.” Dana laughed. “But I could use a good hand phaser about now.”

“Keep that thought. Sherry and Zina, get the Barretts and night scopes. Move to the port side rail.” Phil warned. “We’ve picked up an IR image on the beach near that inlet. Can you spot it?”

Sherry, after a second or two, “Got it. One individual with a shoulder fired missile rig. Is he alone?”

“Confirmed. Appears to be an illuminated targeting scope. Amateur. Pulsing, like he’s sweeping back and forth. No radio activity as yet. Might be scout, might be lone wolf.”

“Phil. I checked with Nick. There are no friendlies in the Park.” Marcie offered. “The Sheriff says deal as we see fit.”

“OK. We have a green light. Watch his IR. Steady bright means he’s spotted us. Take him out before he shoots.” Phil passed the word. “Whoa! He’s aiming. Stop him now!”

The two .50 calibre rifles spoke as one. The IR source disappeared. “He never got a chance to send a warning, Phil. No radio traffic at all.” Marcie reported.

“No more hot spots and his is cooling.” April added. “The home front is quiet and dark.”

Phil continued to parallel the outer islands for another hour until the ‘Devil’s Darling’ was near home. He killed the engines and let the vessel drift. “Girls, tell me everything there is to know about the situation at home. What’s on the sound within five miles of our dock? Marcie, find out what Nick, Crazyhorse, Hardcastle and the police have in the air and where. Ask how many of their crews were tainted.”

Over the next half hour, the picture became much clearer. The ‘Huron’ was steaming slowly up the sound with a slightly woozy crew. Three men were AWOL, assumed to be with the separatists. Gomez had five Harriers at his disposal with the new pilots. They could be airborne in ten minutes.

Nicole and Nick had two Blackhawks airworthy, fueled and ready. The others had to wait for Singer to fly in parts. Overman, Pierson and Mickey were still following the bad guys up the coast. They were nearing Lola on back roads. Pamlico and Craven County Deputies were trying to set interdiction points ahead and behind, but couldn’t predict the route.

The Seals and Force Recon people were infiltrating the area around the boathouse, preparing their own welcome.

The remaining townspeople and tourists in Beaufort were recovering slowly under the tender care of Maggie and Jenny Milden. More than a few developed Very Bad Attitudes toward the White Power Party.

During a pause, JJ and JD joked about the old movies where the villagers marched to the castle with pitchforks and firebrands. Christy, joining the conversation with her friend Betsy, said there was a distinct possibility that it soon could become real. “Tell a Tuscaroran bulldozer operator some assholes dosed his wife and kids because they are Native American and you have a large problem. He will make a place to hide the bodies and has the hardware to do it.”

“So make that high beams, backhoes and bulldozers. It’s cool to see so many people from so many backgrounds standing shoulder to shoulder. Just like the hurricane, folks who would never come in contact find common cause.” JD puffed up a little. “Makes me a little proud to be from here.”

“Yeah. Wonder how Captain Swenson and the Ninjas are doing?” JJ asked. “Do the Master Race jerks have any idea how big a hornet’s nest they disturbed?”

“I’ve never been around so many kids who don’t know how to lose. Makes me feel like I can do the same if I believe in myself.” Christy whispered. “There’s no reason we can’t get some of the kids at the high school to form a community action team here. We have resources and brains, our nerds and jocks don’t have hardcore cliques; the school isn’t that big. We can’t do as much as the Swensons and Singers, but we can do more than we do now.”

“You Candy Stripers can help us with First Aid, the Sheriff can hold self defense classes and we can teach seamanship.” JD enthused. “The school is full of lifeguards and divers. The ROTC group can teach proper weapons safety and use. Christy, you might have started the Beaufort Auxiliary Response Squadron. Way to go! My uncle Willis can print shirts.”

“I’m thinking the logo should be a rampant tiger with a sword in one paw and an olive branch in the other.” Betsy stated, “In a circle formed by the words ‘Beaufort Auxiliary Response Squadron’ on top and ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’ underneath, or ‘Esse Quam Videri’. Both work for me.”

“May as well start now. Let’s find out what we can do here and now.” JJ urged. “Bunches of people need a shoulder to lean on.” He grinned, “Besides, I left my surface-to-air missiles in my other pants.”

“That is what your girlfriend says a lot.” Christy smiled innocently. “You might want to get a second set. Girls talk.”

Betsy was worse. “A backup missile is not a bad thing. Or so I’m told.”

The friends spread out among the crowd still recovering on the lawn, helping where they could, talking up the idea to their friends.

On board the ‘Darling’, Phil and the girls evaluated the new information. “Honestly, loves, I don’t see an easy way tonight. We have support on land but it is thirty minutes away, probably more. Huron is in patrol mode and is undermanned.”

April continued with, “The longer we wait for Captain Hardcastle, the more likely the Special Forces will be engaged with the land forces. Air support can arrive in minutes but cannot help us on the beach. Civilian forces have their hands full and the Otways will be with them. No Lola Navy.”

“If Nick’s Team Two is even available, it’s up north and out of reach for now. We don’t know how large the enemy force is or where they are. We can assume they are well financed and equipped.” May added. “Leadership skills are an unknown. They are capable of advance planning; the lawnful of drugged townies proves that. But they can also screw up. Whether because of arrogance or carelessness, we caught them asleep at the wheel.”

“If I was invading us, I would row over in rafts covered in wet tarps. No IR trace and minimal radar reflection, if any. Even if seen, there is no one to prevent the establishment of firing positions. The ‘Darling’ can only dock at the pier. Use of the ‘Daughters’ as landing craft is not an option. We’re just where they want us, trapped on the water or sitting ducks on land.” Phil was thinking furiously causing the girls to relax and grin. He had a plan and the bad guys were in deep trouble.

“If we pull this off, Oscars all around. I’m getting as close as possible to the seaside beach where the Ninjas and I will wade or swim ashore. Sherry will be XO, Traci will take the helm and Marcie will plot a course back to the sound through Okracoke Inlet. Contact Nick and Gomez. Tell them we are coming from the north and to have their guys go undercover because we will shoot at anything we see. If they want to play, congregate at the boathouse and show two blue lights. If they fly, keep the transponders on. Unidentified aircraft are fair game for the Rocketeers.”

He addressed the entire crew. “I hate to split our group but I know you can step up. Sherry and Belle will direct tactics, but the goal is to get them before they get a shot off. Period. Our cover is blown as soon as you show up in the sound, but I’m betting they will hold fire until the boat is moored. Traci, take it at a speed comfortable to you. We’ll clear the island if necessary and meet you on the water in the ‘Daughters’.” He grinned again. “And the whole plan could go straight into the toilet as soon as we separate. Just do your best on the fly. At least they won’t be able to predict our moves.”

“What’s the plan if the island is empty?” Sherry asked.

“We meet you at the pier. Call the Harriers to sweep the water clean while we offload and set a perimeter around the house.” He was close to the beach. “Some advice. Stay close to the east side of the sound. It might keep some hothead from trying a lucky shot. Don’t be a target. If it gets too weird, turn around and fly to the middle of Pamlico Sound. We’ll be OK. Just stay in touch constantly with new telemetry so we have eyes in the sky. Keep Nick and Nicole in the loop.”

“We’re as close as we can get. Ninjas, silenced firearms in the waterproof backpacks, blades in pockets. Sonar says we can wade in. I loves me some waterproof body armor.” He laughed heartily.

“Sherry you have command, Traci has the helm and the Cannoneers and Rocketeers have permission to go hot if the situation calls for it. RPGs are in play and everyone should use the correct tool for the job. Make this very expensive for them.” He mugged his best ‘evil overlord’ grin, strapping on his katana. “See you on the other side. Ninjas, we are outta here. Belle, welcome to our world.”

Eight splashes and the game was on.

Sherry stepped to the bridge. “Traci, astern one quarter, then ahead one half. Marcie, plot her a course for Okracoke Inlet, three miles offshore. Karen, to the bridge. Everyone, this is the play. Run far enough out so we have to cover the portside only. Marcie will concentrate on navigation and comms. Traci has the helm. Karen takes over the island and inner sound watch. Polly with Karen as additional eyes. Joanne and Nancy will use their Hellfire IR and night vision to monitor the skies.” She began to smile her own evil smile. “Sisters, let’s show them what happens to people who mess with our House!”

“As in, if it doesn’t look friendly, make it go away.” Zina answered. “Disrespect on the radio is the first clue.”

Polly began to upload all voice, video and radio data to Libby for evaluation and entry. The voice recognition part of the software began it’s own work. Libby, in turn, sent Polly’s feed to the Families. The Moms had a ringside seat.

Phil and the Ninjas sorted themselves out on the beach in preparation to infiltrate their home. “Phil. I want to keep them away from the cabin. The walls aren’t bulletproof and the fuel tanks are a liability.” Sally said.

“Yes. Plus they can disrupt the surveillance system and cut some of our intel. Marcie cannot do it all from the satellite.” He agreed. “Any one else have ideas?”

“We spread out and do a quick tour of the island to see if we missed anything. Once satisfied, we converge on the paths leading from the dock and wait.” Bonnie suggested. “Form a perimeter. Me and Connie, SuLing, April and May, Sara and Sally, with Phil roving. Use the night vision feature on the helmets.”

Sara cautioned, “Concentrate on the shadows. They might try the wet tarp trick Phil mentioned on the boat. It might not work so well at ground level, especially if they peep out.”

“Stealth is our friend and may be the only one we have tonight. Remember, size matters and you can use the lack to advantage. Our suits are ambient temperature on the outside so their IR will not see us. Stay low and silent. Marcie can locate us by the comm. system. They can’t.” Phil instructed. “If we find nothing, I’ll make a noise to bring them out of hiding. Know this: We are smarter, quieter and faster than they can hope to be. They only think they are a match. Unjustified arrogant superiority will be their downfall.”

“Exactly.” Sally said. “Race has nothing to do with ability. Thinking it does proves how incredibly unable they are.”

Why wait to make noise? He told them to hold a second. “Team 1 to comm. desk. Marcie, what’s the situation?”

“Karen here. I have your overwatch. Marcie is at the nav and forward watch. We’re still in range. Need help?”

“OK so far. Too quiet. Get Sherry to shoot a few rounds at the woods. Tell me if anything pops up to investigate.”

“Cool. Where are you?”

“At the landing place. Ask her to send two rounds well to the side. They might not hear the shot, but they will hear the bullet strike. Do it now.”

Sherry responded. “Aiming into the trees half way between you and the points.” They did not hear the Barrett or the bullet passage and reported the same to Sherry.

“Someone did. No action to the north where the woods are thin, but lots of motion to the south. Karen is tracking ten bodies moving toward the dock. Your ten, closing in on eleven.”

“Curiosity and cats. We’ll pop their sixes. Now you all get out of here ASAP. CYA and ours, too.”

They became one with the shadows and closed in on the hunters turned prey. Phil, ranging slightly ahead and to the left, sighted the first of the trespassers. “Huge noisy sucker. Vest. Target extremities. I got this one.” He did, quiet and quick, with the katana. “First blood, girls. One down. Keep moving.”

The corpse’s walkie talkie buzzed softly. Phil picked it up and clicked the mic once on a hunch. “Control to One. You’re moving. Why?”

Phil whispered, “Noises. Checking.”

“Keep us advised. Control out.” Silence.

“Girls. Their leader is tracking their radios. We’re facing Team One. Assume others on call. Collect the whole set as we go. Keep them moving.”

To the boat, “Marcie, did you copy and capture the frequency?”

“Affirmative. Rebroadcast GPS signals. The woods across the sound are full of them. Special Forces have gone underground near the boathouse.” Marcie sighed loudly. “The opposition is in motion. In a few minutes, you are going to be Omaha Beach on D-Day.”

“Support?”

“Sherry here. Marcie just got busy. Gomez and the St. Johns are twenty minutes plus away, spinning up now. Manteo team, twelve troops, already streaking airborne. ‘Huron’ at least a half-hour out.”

“Send the Seals and Force Recon to the south end. Land Singers at the north end. We’ll tidy up this lot and hold the middle until relieved. Copy?”

“Copy. We will cut through at the next chance and come in hot and heavy, all guns forward. Call it ‘anvil, three hammers and a pile driver’.”

“Excellent, tactic. Ninjas, work fast. Stealth is secondary to speed. Collect weapons and ammo. We will need it. Move on.”

Less than five minutes later the island was secure, the weapons gathered and the group was setting the perimeter away from the dock. “Karen, sit rep.”

“D-Day is on. We found a new inlet just north of New Drum. Sic transit silica. Polly says it’s deep enough. Thank you, Bellatrix. Lanie spotted a shadow in the star field. Sherry called radar active and Marcie found two more Apaches, one behind us and one coming from Pamlico Sound somewhere, probably to support the landing. Our shadow is nine miles behind and the other is ten and closing. Traci is white-knuckling the ‘Darling’ up on the foils. Both bad birds will be in Hellfire range before we hit the inlet.”

“This is breaking faster and bigger than I thought. Move the Special Forces as soon as you can. We’re going proactive here or we’ll be overwhelmed. I hate these bastards. Later.” In the future, if they had one, he would only pretend to make plans. Real plans always changed instantly, so why bother? He wound up making it up as they went along anyway.

“Girls. Take cover in the trees. Target the engines first, then the boats and pilots. Fire and move. Don’t let them locate you. Single shots from their rifles, make every one count. Cause chaos. Hand guns on the ones who swim ashore.”

“You guys are better shots. The Singers will take the front rows, Swensons and SuLing take the second wave.” Connie suggested. “Find a fuel tank and set the water on fire.”

“If the ammo runs out, it’s back to back, up close and personal. We fight until the end, one way or the other.” Phil warned. “Are we ready for this?”

“This is what we do, bro. This is who we are.” May swore. “We didn’t start this fight but we won’t run away.”

“And if this is where we make our stand, so be it. We stand. Swenson House will never back down.” Sara hissed. “This is for the sisters on the boat, for the folks at home and every House.”

“Sisters and Cousins. Let’s make your Moms proud. Fan out, we have a job to do.” Phil sent them into their first positions as the front wave came into range. “Fire at will. Duck and roll. Fire again. Make them think there are fifty of us.”

That is how it went down for the first few dozen minutes. Dozens of landing craft were burning, sinking or dead in the water, but more kept coming. The fighters heard two loud explosions from the north. Sherry’s voice, “Apaches down. Running max ahead. Hold the line. We’re coming home.”

“You better hurry. Too many are landing and we’re low on ammo. The line is a circle.” Phil reported. “We have maybe a minute left.”

“That might be enough. The SpecFor are about a hundred yards away and advancing to your position. The Singer Team is closer to your south. Listen. The Harriers are starting the strafing run out from the beach and we are dealing with the rear.”

The eight carefully used the last of their ammo. No shot was wasted but the bad guys kept coming. “Nearly there, Phil.” Marcie radioed, “Just a little longer. The troops are getting bogged down in the mob.”

Phil replied. “Damn. No more bullets. We’re being overrun. Too late, lover. We’ve run out of time. OK. Girls. This is where we make our stand or fall in battle. Hope we get the prettiest Valkyries. On my mark, one last charge. Give no quarter. All compass points, low and hard. Make ‘em pay. SWENSON HOUSE, NOW!”

All eight maniacs flew from their improvised bunker and rushed the Neo-Nazis who were caught off guard again by the kids’ lunatic boldness. That was all the Ninjas needed to seize the upper hand. By the time the enemy collected their wits, they managed to shoot several of their fellow soldiers in a panic. Phil and the girls slashed and punched anything they could reach, using their victims for cover while attacking another target.

Berserkers in Valhalla could see how experts did it. So did the video cameras on Nicole’s Singer Blackhawk patrolling above. Nicole was sending the feed to Polly who naturally forwarded it to Libby with the data stream from the ‘Devil’s Darling’. In an instant, the battle was on a screen in most of the Houses, nationwide. The word was out. In the finest tradition of the Clans, Swenson II was standing tall, Phil and the tiny giants taking the fight to the face of the enemy.

No matter how many the fighters put down, the enemy kept coming. All of the kids were taking hits. Broken ribs, dislocated shoulders and just plain bruises hardly slowed them down. They were still screaming war cries and fighting through the pain with whatever still worked when the reinforcements fought their way to the center and dropped the last of the invaders.

The eight were in a tight circle ready for more when the voice of a Seal cut through the battle fog. “You can stand down now, friends, it’s over. Well done. Well done, indeed.”

Phil spoke softly. “Look around. Nothing but good guys. You stood tall against everything they had to give. You make me proud. We did good, girls, we did good.” It looked like some invisible hand let the air out. All eight collapsed on the ground.

The SpecFors went wild. “Set a perimeter. Protect these kids. Some of the down clowns might still be breathing, looking for a lucky last shot. Not on our watch! Not after what they just went through. We need medics but now!”

The ‘Darling’ crew had tied up and safed the heavy weapons. The girls came running. “Where are they? Where are Captain Swenson and the Ninjas? Are they OK?” Sherry was shouting as the girls pushed their way through the troops.

“My god, they are down. Do Something Now.” Willy screamed, “Belle, Sherry check them for wounds.”

“We are, Willy. Give us a chance already.” Belle said. She addressed the others. “Ensign Barton, Coast Guard active and Gunnery Sergeant Singer, Marines inactive. We are field medics and rescue qualified. Who ranks here? Are your medics inbound? These guys are damn near broken into pieces.”

A Marine and a Seal stepped forward. “Us. Medics are coming. Were you on that crazy boat? Who took out the Apaches?”

“We did sir.” Nancy and Joanne curtseyed. “Seemed like the thing to do.”

The seasoned troops just rolled their eyes. “Who was the pilot? That was an excellent approach, if 80 knots is excellent in tight quarters.”

“That would be me, sirs.” Traci bowed. “Third time at the helm. Second time I just held her steady while Phil dropped the rogue Harrier. Sherry said to hurry, so I did what my Captain does. Push it to the max and aim for an empty spot. Willy and Melody made holes in the traffic with the quad 50s.” The Cannoneers preened.

“Aren’t any of you hellions taller than five feet?” The Marine laughed. “Swenson is a foot taller than his dervishes and he’s no giant.”

“There’s the four college professors with Zina and Emily. They were pumping RPGs and solid slug shotguns. They are a little taller, but not all that much. Except Zina and Emily are almost as tall as Phil. And we have Marcie at comms, Polly and Karen at radar and sensors. But they are small too. Hard to hit when we are moving.”

Phil’s pained voice sounded from the ground. “Thanks guys for coming so fast. We couldn’t have held out much longer. It’s a lot harder in the dark.”

“Fast? Are you nuts? Nick is going to bust my chops for taking so long. All of us were slow getting here. The SpecFors had to wait for the way to clear and we had to bypass the falling debris. And we got started late.” The Singer pilot admitted. “You and the girls were working alone for nearly three quarters of an hour before we mixed in.”

April interrupted. “It seemed like just a few minutes. No wonder we ran out of ammo. How are Sheriff Overman, Mickey and Master Gunny Pierson? Did they catch the runners?”