***
Paxton threw the used cigarette butt outside the opened window. He looked over to the passenger seat. Kaspar lay on the bench; his black bag covered face looked straight up. He might have been asleep, lost in a sea of dreams. Paxton thought about checking on him, but thought better of it. If he were asleep, it would be best to let the kid get the winks in while he still could.
The more the miles went by, the more Paxton began to question himself about his latest recruit. The kid couldn’t shoot worth shit, not to mention his emotional issues. Desperate times called for desperate measures, however. If Zach were still around, there was no way in hell they would even consider a punk like Kaspar. But, the larger question at hand became how to convince the members of The Committee to let him join.
The Committee, as Paxton explained it over breakfast, was a secret alliance formed by former politicians and young idealistic men. They had a Chamber in every major city across the country. Once the battle was won, the members would align themselves together to form the new government that would resemble that of old. That, of course, depended on whether or not the politician messed it up again or not.
Paxton tried to focus on the road again. The truth was, he hated these long drives back and forth, but he knew they were necessary. Times like these, with nothing but the paved road ahead, forced him to think about his wife again, his beautiful Randi. He remembered when he came home from North Korea, before everything went to shit, the look on her face when he walked into that gymnasium. She gave him that smile which originally caught his attention. The lights from the ceiling hit her eyes in such a perfect way that they lit up the entire room. He reached to her and wrapped his strong arms around her…
“We almost there?” Kaspar asked, the bag over his head muffled his words.
“Yeah, kid.” Paxton replied.
“Good.”
Kaspar couldn’t remember how long it had been since that son of a bitch made him put that thing over his head. He thought he could get the better of Paxton, though, and tried to memorize the turns and how long in between. He gave up after the third left, which was preceded by four rights in quick succession. Upon giving up, his thoughts went back to Mother, of course. After about an hour on the firing range, he started to get a feel for shooting.
It won’t be long now, Mother. Pretty soon, I’ll be gunning people down like John.
The van came to an abrupt halt. The loud clicks of the emergency brake filled Kaspar’s ears. About damn time. He sat up and cracked his back, then took off the black mask when given the order to do so. The back doors of the van opened up and Kaspar hopped out the back. With that bag over his head so long, the sunlight ripped into his corneas, forcing him to squint. There was nothing familiar about his surroundings. They were in an alley way in between tall buildings he never saw before.
Paxton reached into his pockets and fished out a security card while Kaspar followed him to the back door. The old veteran swiped the card then entered a five digit pass code. The air tight lock released with a long hiss. They entered the building then arrived in a dimly lit lobby. There was not a window in sight. No chance for the USR to get a peek or a shot in. Armed men, dressed in black fatigues, surrounded the room. M4 Carbines rested in each of their hands, an American flag attached to their thick Kevlar vests.
Kaspar could feel that familiar feeling that increased in annoyance. The feeling of not knowing what was going on would soon drive him to madness. He just wanted to…feel as if he was in the loop, if for nothing else that his own mind’s sake. The eerie silence of the room didn’t help matters at all. All those guards were so damned quiet. None of them moved, save for one guard who checked his wrist watch. It wasn’t enough to have to meet The Committee, but the silence added to his nervousness. Somebody say something…
“Let me tell you something, kid.” Paxton said.
“What’s that?” Kaspar asked, his eyes continued to dart around the lobby.
“Just answer each of their questions with a ‘yes, sir’ and you’ll be fine.”
“What questions should I expect?”
“Remember how I grilled you last night?”
“How’d I do?” Kaspar asked, but he already knew the answer.
“You failed miserably.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence.”
“Oh,” Paxton said, “one more thing.”
“What?”
“The Committee wants patriots, not vigilantes. Keep your little revenge mission to yourself.”
Paxton led the way to the front desk. The silent armed guards kept their gaze on the two men. Seated behind the desk a plain looking receptionist sat. When her eyes met Paxton’s, an all too pleasant smile grew from ear to ear.
“Ah, Mr. Paxton, how are you today?”
“Not bad, yourself?” Paxton replied.
“Just fine, thanks.”
“How are Isabella and Isaac?”
“Ike brought home straight A’s and Bella’s learning to talk a bit better, sweetheart.”
Paxton chuckled, “So, you can actually make out what she says?”
“Ha, just a little bit. What brings you here today?”
“New recruit,” Paxton said. He motioned for Kaspar to step up to the desk. “We need to introduce him to the Board.”
“And, what’s your name, sugar?” the receptionist asked. Her pleasantness gave Kaspar the creeps.
“Ryan.”
“Well, I’m Amy. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Amy stuck out her skinny hand and Kaspar embraced it. He applied little pressure to the handshake, wouldn’t be much of a first impression if he shattered every bone in the poor receptionist’s hand.
“It’ll be just a moment.” Amy said and stood up from her chair. “I’ll let them know you’re here. Y’all just relax out here for a moment.”
Easy for you to say, Kaspar thought. He knew that this would be the only legitimate shot he had to exact revenge. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed Paxton’s teaching and the resistance’s weapons to pull it off. The nervous energy inside of him intensified when he tried to think of what The Committee would ask him. He tried to come up with as many bullshit responses before he would have to go in there.
“Stop that.” Paxton said.
“Stop what?”
“Worrying. It’s all over your face. If you want to make it through this, calm down and cowboy up.”
A door opened to the right and Kaspar looked over. Out walked Amy, with that same creepy smile on her face. What was she so happy about? She informed the two men that The Committee members were ready. Paxton stood and led the way to the door. Once they reached the door, he gave a light shove to Kaspar’s chest.
“Wait out here,” Paxton ordered. “Let me go in first and butter them up for you.”
“Sure, take your time.”
Paxton sighed, “Just take a seat over there.”
There was a small wooden bench on the opposite side of the door. Kaspar walked over to it and sat down. His head went straight to the floor. He wondered how long the old man would be in there for. He hoped that it wouldn’t take long. Ever since Paxton told him to keep his lust for revenge private, that was all Kaspar could think about. No matter how hard the fight, he knew deep down it was a losing battle.
Killing the men responsible…was all he lived for now.