Read Online Fear and Anger (The 47 Echo Series) by Shawn Kupfer - Free Book Online
Authors: Shawn Kupfer
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little.”
“Well, I know a lot. They teach it to you for just such an occasion. So just give me space and get out of my light.”
Nick moved so his back was against the door of the tiny bunker, which moved his head out of the path of the single overhead light. Hansen sprayed the wound again, then wrapped the entire thing in gauze, then wrapped the gauze with a compression bandage.
“Now, what’d you do with those painkillers?”
Nick pulled the bottle of Hydrocodone from his cargo pocket and tossed it to Hansen. Though he’d already seen the English label back in the truck, he studied the bottle before opening it. He shook out two pills, then studied one of them up against the light. Shrugging, he put both large pills into his mouth and swallowed.
“I’m probably gonna get pretty sleepy in about a half an hour here,” he said. “My bet is this isn’t a very secure place for me to sack out.”
Nick had the same thought. It was less than half a kilometer from where they’d bailed out of the truck, and it would be the first place anyone looking for them would check. But with Hansen’s leg shredded below the knee, it wasn’t like they were going to get much further. Stealing another military vehicle was out, because they’d logically all have the same cameras connected to the PLA core, and Nick had no idea how to turn them off. And if there were cameras, there were probably other trackers he couldn’t even find or identify.
“We need to go low-profile from here on out,” Nick said. “Find civilian transportation, civilian clothes. Me impersonating a PLA officer is just going to get us into more trouble than we want. There are a billion and a half people in this country, and most of them aren’t in the army – we need to blend in with them if we’re getting out of here.”
“Great plan,” Hansen said, yawning. “We haven’t seen a non-military car in hours. How do you plan to do that?”
“No idea. But I don’t have much time to figure it out.”
Chapter Nine
Gun Fury
Christopher tried to draw a bead on the gunfire, to pinpoint where he should aim, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere. He saw a flash out of a first-floor window on the building nearest the street, a long, two-story house, so he aimed at the flash and sent several rounds from his M4 in that direction. The others with him – Peter, Martin, and Yuri – were returning fire, as well. It took several seconds for Christopher to realize that, though he and his team were out in the open with minimal cover (he and Peter had jumped behind a park bench), none of them were getting hit. The bullets were hitting close , but whoever was shooting at them didn’t seem terribly interested in killing them.
The gunfire stopped all at once, and Christopher held up his fist to indicate to his team to stop shooting back. He wasn’t sure they were hitting anything, anyway.
“Chris? What’s going on, man?” Bryce radioed from the APC. His voice buzzed in Christopher’s helmet radio, and Christopher toggled his throat mic with his left hand.
“No clue. Stay there until I give the word.”
“Copy that.”
The silence was shattered after several seconds by a voice, amplified, speaking in Russian. Christopher turned to Yuri, who was crouched behind a steel trash can a few meters away.
“What the hell was he saying?” Christopher shouted.
“He wants us to put down our weapons and surrender,” Yuri answered.
“Might not be a bad idea,” Martin yelled – Christopher saw him crouched behind another park bench. The older man had his helmet visor down.
Christopher activated his own visor and set it to night-vision mode. From the alleys between the houses in front of them, he saw dozens of soldiers in thick winter camouflage pouring out into the streets. A quick count put their numbers north of 60.
“We’ve been had, I think,” Yuri yelled, sighing.
“What’s our move here, man?” Peter asked, his weapon still up and
“Well, I know a lot. They teach it to you for just such an occasion. So just give me space and get out of my light.”
Nick moved so his back was against the door of the tiny bunker, which moved his head out of the path of the single overhead light. Hansen sprayed the wound again, then wrapped the entire thing in gauze, then wrapped the gauze with a compression bandage.
“Now, what’d you do with those painkillers?”
Nick pulled the bottle of Hydrocodone from his cargo pocket and tossed it to Hansen. Though he’d already seen the English label back in the truck, he studied the bottle before opening it. He shook out two pills, then studied one of them up against the light. Shrugging, he put both large pills into his mouth and swallowed.
“I’m probably gonna get pretty sleepy in about a half an hour here,” he said. “My bet is this isn’t a very secure place for me to sack out.”
Nick had the same thought. It was less than half a kilometer from where they’d bailed out of the truck, and it would be the first place anyone looking for them would check. But with Hansen’s leg shredded below the knee, it wasn’t like they were going to get much further. Stealing another military vehicle was out, because they’d logically all have the same cameras connected to the PLA core, and Nick had no idea how to turn them off. And if there were cameras, there were probably other trackers he couldn’t even find or identify.
“We need to go low-profile from here on out,” Nick said. “Find civilian transportation, civilian clothes. Me impersonating a PLA officer is just going to get us into more trouble than we want. There are a billion and a half people in this country, and most of them aren’t in the army – we need to blend in with them if we’re getting out of here.”
“Great plan,” Hansen said, yawning. “We haven’t seen a non-military car in hours. How do you plan to do that?”
“No idea. But I don’t have much time to figure it out.”
Chapter Nine
Gun Fury
Christopher tried to draw a bead on the gunfire, to pinpoint where he should aim, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere. He saw a flash out of a first-floor window on the building nearest the street, a long, two-story house, so he aimed at the flash and sent several rounds from his M4 in that direction. The others with him – Peter, Martin, and Yuri – were returning fire, as well. It took several seconds for Christopher to realize that, though he and his team were out in the open with minimal cover (he and Peter had jumped behind a park bench), none of them were getting hit. The bullets were hitting close , but whoever was shooting at them didn’t seem terribly interested in killing them.
The gunfire stopped all at once, and Christopher held up his fist to indicate to his team to stop shooting back. He wasn’t sure they were hitting anything, anyway.
“Chris? What’s going on, man?” Bryce radioed from the APC. His voice buzzed in Christopher’s helmet radio, and Christopher toggled his throat mic with his left hand.
“No clue. Stay there until I give the word.”
“Copy that.”
The silence was shattered after several seconds by a voice, amplified, speaking in Russian. Christopher turned to Yuri, who was crouched behind a steel trash can a few meters away.
“What the hell was he saying?” Christopher shouted.
“He wants us to put down our weapons and surrender,” Yuri answered.
“Might not be a bad idea,” Martin yelled – Christopher saw him crouched behind another park bench. The older man had his helmet visor down.
Christopher activated his own visor and set it to night-vision mode. From the alleys between the houses in front of them, he saw dozens of soldiers in thick winter camouflage pouring out into the streets. A quick count put their numbers north of 60.
“We’ve been had, I think,” Yuri yelled, sighing.
“What’s our move here, man?” Peter asked, his weapon still up and
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