Free Sic Semper Tyrannis by Marcus Richardson Page B

time for two of the Chinese to shout in horror as the rest of the Regulators opened up.
    Rob squeezed the trigger on his Winchester and the old warhorse bucked like a mule.  When his vision cleared, he noted with grim satisfaction that his target was down and not moving.  His radio erupted in combat chatter.
    “ —got a runner on the left flank, Tommy—take ‘im!”
    “Got it—he ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
    “Watch your six! Two, there’s more coming up the ravine!”
    “On it!”
    “Reloading!”
    “Pass me a spare mag, Four!”
    “Dave’s hit!  He’s hit!”
    Rob turned his attention to the remaining Chinese soldiers still on their feet.  One took aim and pulled his trigger just as Rob did.  He shoved his rifle aside and peered over the edge to see the invader slump against a tree and fall to the rocky soil clutching his chest.
    “Nnnhhh…”
    “ RAF - 3-Actual is hit! ” someone called out, voice near panic-stricken.
    Shit , thought Rob.  I was too late.
    “Move, move, move!” called out Lance’s voice.  “The last one’s making a run for it!  Don’t let that bastard get away!”
    A flurry of AR fire erupted at the far end of the ambush site.  Shortly, silence returned to the forest, broken only by the screaming and moaning of the wounded.  Rob stood up and called out, “All clear, hold your fire—RAF-3 move in to check for survivors.”
    “ Roger that, One.  3-Actual is down, repeat, 3-Actual is down. I’m taking the rest of the team down to check ‘em out .”
    “ I need some help over here!  Dave’s bleeding out! ”
    Rob gingerly worked his way downslope as he listened to Lance take charge of the battlefield and coordinate the rescue of wounded Regulators.  Each patrol and RAF team had two men who carried a medic load-out.  Rob was grateful they had implemented that rule, as he listened to the gruesome screams of his men over the radio.
    Once at the base of the ridge, he called out, “How we doin’, RAF-3?  We clear?”
    “ Roger that, One.  All strangers are sleeping and accounted for .”
    An engine echoed off the mountainside.  “HQ sent out the ATVs.  Everyone get ready to EVAC the wounded!” Rob hollered.  The Regulators jumped into action to prepare their fallen brothers for a bumpy ride back to base where they could be properly triaged.
    Lance stepped out from behind a tree, his camo-painted face a mask of anger and relief.  Rob jumped a little at the sudden appearance of his friend.  “Jesus, Lance, you scared the shit out of me!”
    Lance turned to watch the men round up the four wounded Regulators.  “We lost Dave and Willy.”
    “Damn it.”
    Lance nodded.  “Willy’s gonna be hard to replace, Rob.  Might want to rotate RAF-3 down for a while.”
    Rob shook his head.  “We can’t.  This is the second probe these little bastards have sent our way in as many weeks.”
    “ Jesus, Rob, these guys had some serious battle rattle …” said a voice over the radio.
    Rob and Lance turned around to see two men from the RAF team wave a little further down the ravine.  “ We’re talking high-end rifles, some digital field gear, helmet cameras, full load-outs, grenades, and a bunch of other shit I can’t even identify. ”
    “ Got a new sniper rifle for us over here ,” called out another Regulator.  “Thermal scope, too!”
    “Take it all.  Let’s hustle, boys.  I want this ravine cleared in thirty.  We were never here.  They were never here.  Got it?  We’ll sort out our new toys back at HQ.”  Rob turned to Lance and flashed a grin.  “Well, at least it was worth it.”
    Lance nodded.  “You tell the widows, then.”  He turned and stalked off toward their new home.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 5
    None Shall Pass
     
     
    CAPTAIN DAVIS BRACED HIMSELF against the exterior railing along the exterior of the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt ’s superstructure.  He watched as the relatively calm waters of the middle Atlantic