Part 24 (1/2)

Liberty is a beloved discipline. George Homans

Chapter One.

In the battered and burning area of Los Angeles, Leroy looked at the messenger and felt a churning in his guts. If what the man reported was true, they were all screwed and about to be kissed during the s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g ... by the kiss of death.

The Rebels were slowly and methodically closing in on them. Each new dawning brought the law and-order b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and b.i.t.c.hes another block or two or three closer, on all sides. The smoke was thick and choking all around them. And it seemed like the thunder of artillery and the booming and cras.h.i.+ng of incoming sh.e.l.ls never stopped. A lot of the street punks were folding up mentally under the constant attack. Some had committed suicide, others had surrendered, still others had gone crazy as the pressure got to them.

”Let's go see Junkyard and Ishmal,” Leroy told his bodyguards. ”We got to figure out something, and we ain't got a whole lot of time left to do it.”

The punks still held a lot of territory. But it was shrinking day by day. Rebels were stretched out west to east along Interstate 10 and north to south along Interstate 710. The south and the west were still open, but Ben Raines and his people and the Mexican Army lay to the south, and to the west was the Pacific Ocean, and now that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Raines had covered that too.

Most of the street punk leaders were in attendance.Most of those who were not in attendance were dead.

Ruth of the Macys said, ”Some of my people seen boats this morning. Big boats lay in' off sh.o.r.e.”

”Yeah, they're there, all right,” Cash of the Surfers said. ”Mexican gunboats. Big ones. They come up and got into position last night.”

”We're screwed!” Hal of the Fifth Street Lords said. ”And I ain't gonna surrender. Too many freed prisoners would be happy to testify against me. I'm dead either way it goes.”

”Yeah,” Jimmy of the Indios agreed. ”We're dead if we stay here, and dead if we surrender.

The Rebels overran my turf and grabbed the slaves I had. You know they're singin' like birds.

I wouldn't last five minutes.”

”None of us would,” Sally of the Mixers said. ”So let's don't even talk about surrender. But G.o.d-d.a.m.nit, I don't want to die! It ain't right what Ben Raines is doin'!”

”Sure ain't,” Josh of the Angels said. ”What Raines is doin' is agin the law.”

Brute looked at him, disgust in the gaze.

”Idiot! Ben Raines is the law. He's the only law in the United States.”

”So what do we do?” d.i.c.ky of the Silvers asked.

”That's why we're here,” Leroy said. ”To come up with a plan.”

Rich was not in attendance. But he did have a spy present. He would know everything that went on. And if he could do it, he was going to toss Leroy, Ishmal, and Junkyard to the lions ... in this case, the Rebels.

Artillery started booming after an hour's respite, the sh.e.l.ls creaming another two-block area to the north and to the east. Cigarettes were lighted with trembling hands. The bombardment was getting to them all.

Everybody started coming up with plans. But none of the plans were worth a d.a.m.n.

Finally, when everyone had wound down, Leroy said, ”The Rebels have to have a weak spot. It's up to us to find it and do it d.a.m.n quick.”

”The Rebels ain't got no weak spot,”

Carmine of the Women said, pointing out what she felt to be the truth. In fact, the Rebel lines were so thin they had plenty of weak spots. ”But what they got is a system that's workin'. And it don't look like we got any defense against it.

”There is one way,” Brute of the White Men said softly, his words just audible over the cras.h.i.+ng of artillery rounds. ”Maybe it would work.” He outlined it, and most of the street punk leaders turned down the suggestion.

”It would work,” Stan of the Flatrocks said. ”But I don't like it.”

”I don't like it either,” Bull said. ”But we may have to do it anyways. Now tell me this, Brute.

If we got out, where would we go?””Where Raines would least expect us to go. North into Canada and maybe on up into Alaska.”

”Alaska!” Leroy shouted. ”That's your a.s.s, blue-boy.

I ain't carryin' my a.s.s up there to freeze off.”

Brute faced the gang leader. ”To tell you the truth, Leroy, very few of us really give a d.a.m.n where you go. You're crude, ignorant, and a racist.”

”You don't talk to me like that, f.a.ggy.”

”I just did, Leroy,” Brute said with a smile.

”And if you don't like it, come on and take your best shot.”

Bull watched it all with a smile. He'd known Brute for years, and knew the man was just as tough as any among them. His s.e.xual preferences were a little weird, but no one with any sense would sell him short on courage ... not and live to tell about it.

”When this is over, I will,” Leroy warned the man.

Brute put one hand on his hip andwiththe other hand, gave him the finger.

That made Leroy so mad he picked up a chair and threw it out a window. He and his bodyguards stormed out of the meeting. Leroy stood outside and calmed down. Problem was, he thought, what Carmine said was right. There just didn't seem to be a way to stop the d.a.m.n Rebels. They just kept on coming. They would sh.e.l.l and burn two or three blocks, and then lay back and wait to see if anyone tried to punch through.

Then they would move forward, and do it again and again.

Slowly, slowly, the noose was tightening around the necks of those inside the burning city.

Now the whole Mexican Army was stretched out from Mexicali to Tijuana, blocking that southern escape route. Too bad, Leroy thought.

Mexican p.u.s.s.y was good. He sighed. And now Mexican gunboats were out in the Gulf of Catalina, and the d.a.m.n Rebels were everywhere else.

Leroy cursed Ben Raines.

So maybe that d.a.m.n f.a.g had a good idea. But Alaska?

That just didn't appeal to Leroy at all.

”General Payon's army is in place,”

Corrie informed Ben. ”All roads leading into Mexico are blocked and heavy patrols are at other strategic locations. A few punks and creepies might get away, but not many are going south.”

”Thank you, Corrie. Now patch me through to Cecil, please.”