Roger made sure that the guys that would be entering the compound and buildings had mirrors to use, these were simple contraptions made of compact mirrors from the cosmetic counter of the drug store, shortened broom sticks and duct tape. Simple, effective and cheap. Easily tossed aside or thrown away with no bother of how much they had cost.
Haliday covered clothing with the guys. “Make sure you do not wear any camo. We can not have anyone getting hit by friendly fire. You have all seen that they wear the Russian camo and know what it looks like. Wear plain black or regular clothes. Make sure they are loose enough to give when you move, but tight enough so they do not get caught on stuff. Your shoes are important as well. Boots with ankle support are the best option, avoid tennis shoes.”
“Everybody gather around me,” Haliday said. “I’m going to cover the rules of engagement. No children are to be fired upon unless they are actively firing on you. Anyone else that is armed and engaged is fair game. If they drop their weapons and surrender, you zip tie them behind their backs. We shoot to neutralize the threat.”
“What’s that mean?” he heard someone yell.
“Kill,” Roger answered back.
He made a quick count of the people involved. There were almost 120 of them total. These people were starting to get hungry and that meant they were ready to fight. They were starting to realize real quickly now what was happening and what their future held. It wasn’t just them; it was their families as well.
He called everyone close in. “I have a little speech to give here people. I hope it doesn’t change your minds about anything. People are going to die. That is a cold hard fact you all need to come to grips with. The fight is being taken to them because if you don’t, they will become stronger and you will become weaker.”
“There are no ‘ifs,’ ‘ands’ or ‘buts’ in this. It’s a matter of getting it done and getting it done the right way, right now. As corny as it sounds, and as often used as it is in the movies, look around you. This is the reason you are fighting. This is who depends on you. This is who you must depend on. With that being said, Depends might not be a bad option; some of you will shit your pants.” He got quite a few chuckles at that, even though it was probably true.
“Any questions before we leave?” There weren’t any. Just a lot of thank you’s, good lucks and prayers. Haliday shook Rob’s hand and Brad’s hand. “I’ll see you all in the morning.” Haliday and Mark headed back to the house. They walked in and the mood was somber. “I’m not going over it all again ok. It’s gotta be done, plain and simple.”
Morning came and Mark and Haliday were ready to go. When they went downstairs everyone was there waiting for them. A lot of hugs and kisses. Kayla walked up and gave Mark a hug. She went over to Roger and gave him a big hug with tears in her eyes. “You better be coming home. You promise me that Dad.”
“I can’t promise you that sweetheart. What I can promise you is that I will do everything I can to make it happen. I want you to know how proud of you I am. I could never have asked for a better daughter who has grown into a fantastic young woman. You can accomplish anything you want in life kiddo. Never give up. Take care of the family here. You’re the boss for now.”
Haliday and Mark got into the Jeep and took off. They didn’t say a word to one another on the way there. They just went over the assault plans in their heads. They arrived at the police station. Everyone else started to arrive as well. Haliday pulled out a big pot and a bunch of Styrofoam bowls. One of the folks took charge and started doling out oatmeal with bananas that Haliday had brought.
He also had made some coffee at the police station and handed out some granola bars along with pitchers of Tang. It was a meager meal, but still hit the spot. He put a few bags of chocolate candy on the tables for some more sugar. Haliday talked with Rob a bit. “You guys are getting one hell of a bill for my consultancy fee here.” Rob asked him if he took cash. “Oh, now you have jokes, huh, Rob?”
Haliday and Mark had their radios with them and they had brought two extra handhelds for Rob and Brad. They had five mobile units from the vehicles they had acquired and they placed one at each corner of the perimeter of the compound. From there they should be able to coordinate the assault.
Everyone had made it in and Haliday did another quick count. They had gained about 10 more members. The doctor approached and introduced another doctor and three nurses. They had gathered as many medical supplies as they could, and had an area prepared for medical treatment in the conference room of the police station. Anyone wounded they planned to put in an office next to the police station for now.
“Move them out Rob.” Haliday and Mark went and got ready as well. Haliday had his faithful old Armalite AR180 with him. He chose it over a short barreled AR15 because of the folding stock and usefulness in close quarters. Chuck had his own entry weapon of choice which was an MP5. After the initial assault, they would meet up with their teams and start the building clearing.
Everyone had gotten into position. The daytime assault was a big risk, but they took it because it would help level the field. No night vision goggles, or night vision scopes, plain sight, easy to discern friendly from foe, and the daytime conditions would allow the hunters with their scoped rifles to maximize their ability.
The militia compound was ready for the attack. As soon as they had seen the attack mounting, they had sounded their alarm and everyone was in position. They sat there and waited. Haliday’s group sat there and waited. He called them on the ham. “We are going to give you the opportunity to surrender.”
The response came quickly. “Negative. Disband and go home.”
Roger called them again and explained it all to them. “Listen, this is how it is. You can surrender and we can go from there. If not it’s going to be ugly for both sides. You have women and children in there who don’t deserve this. It’s the best option for everyone involved, so let’s work this out.”
A one word response came. “Negative.”
Haliday mumbled to himself. “What was that song from that stupid movie Small Soldiers. Some Spice Girls song; wish I had that right now.” I’ll tell you want what, what I really really want. “Oh great,” he said, “I’m going to die with that stupid song in my head.”
Mark looked at him, “What’s wrong?”
“You don’t want to know,” he replied.
One more try. Haliday said, “Listen. A lot has happened, a lot will happen and we don’t need to go down that road. Anyone who wants to give up and go home can do so now. We’ll give you one hour to decide. After that we may take action. Don’t be stupid. Listen to us. Come on guys. No one wants to die today.”
All he heard was “Screw you.”
“Ok,” he said, “One hour. Time has started.”
Haliday had told everyone to expect what came next. The militia started firing on the group’s positions in order to try and gain an edge during the assault. They fired a lot of rounds into the barricades, toward the tree line and everywhere else. The group didn’t fire a single shot back. Not a single person even got hit as they maintained cover.
Haliday had what he wanted, the proof that the militia would not make a deal and firing first meant just that. They gave them a chance and they refused it. Haliday had a few guys fire a couple of rounds toward the compound, but not at anyone in particular. This drew another barrage of fire from the militia. He clicked the radio. “Forty-five minutes left.”